Change Isn't All Bad
by SonataSongbird
Summary: In a move to even the odds against Naraku, Kagome invites Sesshomaru to join her group. Will their increased contact bring the two closer together, or further solidify their prior enemy status? Reads like a Drabble Series. Rating is M for language and violence. (Cover Photo by YoukaiYume)
1. Habits

Hey guys! SonataSongbird here with my FIRST EVER FANFIC! *cheers* I'm not sure where I'll be taking this story, other than the fact that it will be a SessKag pairing. I am open to both suggestions and critiques, just be kind please! Alright, enough chit chat! On to the story!

Note: I do not own Inuyasha, that privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and her alone!

Also I have read A LOT of SessKag stories, so if any part of my story resembles one you've read PLEASE TELL ME! I will either change what I have written or give proper credit. I am not a fan of plagiarism and do not plan to participate in it. Thanks guys!

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Chapter 1 - Habits

Kagome lifted her head, closed her eyes, and allowed herself a few moments to relish in the sunlight and drink in the fresh air. She had found this had become a habit after returning from her own time, but she could hardly be surprised. The air was just so stifling in Tokyo, not to mention it just didn't seem like the sun shined as brightly there. The rays had to fight through the smog before it could reach the city below.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagome sighed and opened her eyes. The moment was ruined. Inuyasha stood a few feet away, looking very cross. It was this way every time she returned. Seems both of them had their habits.

"Contemplating whether or not I should say 'it'." She replied with a smirk. She watched in satisfaction as Inuyasha's ears twitched, but instead of retorting, he looked away.

"Feh." She almost frowned, but decided against it. It would just cause more problems. She wished things hadn't changed between the two of them, but it had. Whereas before they would argue incessantly, mostly in a playful manner, now it just never got that far. Inuyasha was more withdrawn and Kagome didn't really want to spend the energy on their fights anymore. And although she missed their childish banter, she knew she was partially to blame for its absence. When Inuyasha had declared his choice – Kikyo – Kagome had decided it was time to move on. Time to grow up. She wasn't the foolish fifteen year old that had initially fell through the well. Time and the harshness of the Feudal Era had seen to wiping away her ignorance, and her innocence. Inuyasha had recognized the change, and although she could tell he still held some feelings for her, she knew it would never be enough for her. She didn't want to be second choice.

Walking to Inuyasha, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. With a smile, she suggested, "Let's head back to the others."

"Yeah, okay." He replied softly.


	2. Amusement

Alright, I'm thinking about doing a once a week update. Every Friday, I think. I will do my absolute best to keep this up. I will warn you that I am a college student, so my studies may hamper my progress at times, but I will press on! On another note, I have to say, it's been great hearing from you guys. You all are the absolute best! Thanks for the encouragement! Alright, enough sappiness. On to Chapter Two!

(Also, not all of these chapters will be in chronological order. They may skip a few days time.)

Note: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters, Rumiko Takahashi does.

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Chapter 2 - Amusement

"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome!"

Kagome looked up from her task of picking herbs. The gang had decided to stay in Edo for a few days. The night of the New Moon would arrive the next night, and they all had agreed Edo was the safest place to stay until it passed. She gladly took this opportunity to help out Kaede and train with her a bit while she had the chance. To her amusement and annoyance, Shippo flung himself into her arms knocking her to the ground and spilling her gathered herbs.

As she gathered herself from the heap she and her adopted son had become, she looked at him sharply.

"Shippo, that's the third time you've done that! Didn't I tell you to slow down and wait until I'm NOT holding something?"

Shippo at least had the dignity to look ashamed when Kagome scolded him, unlike a certain hanyou she knew. "Sorry Mama."

"All is forgiven, you know I can't stay mad at you." She affectionately ruffled his hair. "Now, what in Kami's name has you so excited?"

"Rin's back!" Shippo shifted excitedly from foot to foot. Looking at her with the cutest fox smile he could manage he asked, "Do you have any candy I can give her?"

"Hmmm…" She tapped her chin in mock deep thought. "I think I may be able to help you out. But… You're gonna owe me." She watched in amusement as he gaped at her, clearly at a loss for words. "Oh, come on. You're no fun, Shippo! I just want you to help me pick up my herbs, then we can get that candy for Rin."

She watched once more in amusement as the kit dashed around picking up the herbs in the span of a few seconds, and lifted up her basket containing the herbs just in time for Shippo to begin dragging her down the hill toward the village.

"Come on, come on Mama! You're so slow!"

"Shippo! Calm down! Rin is going to be here all day! If you keep rushing me, I'm going to trip and fall all the way down the hill!" At her exclamation, Shippo sighed deeply and hung his head in frustration. She could tell by his aura he was extremely exasperated. And she once more felt amused at the kit's antics. It was a feeling she couldn't really escape when he was around.


	3. Tempers

Sorry I'm late guys! Yesterday was crazy exhausting. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Note: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters, regretfully. Rumiko Takahashi alone has that pleasure.

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Chapter 3 - Tempers

As she and Shippo neared the village, Kagome extended her aura to see how many others had arrived with Rin. Or more specifically, who had arrived with her. At first, when Rin would join the gang for the day, Ah-Un and Jaken would merely show up with their charge in the morning and disappear with her in the evening. But as of late, the mysterious taiyoukai would accompany her, staying out of sight but not out of hearing range. His hearing range of course. She was still curious as to why. Did he not trust the gang AND his group to protect her? She couldn't help but feel hurt.

Her suspicions were confirmed as her aura gently connected with that of the Lord of the West's. At first his aura didn't react, but as hers lingered, his harshly pushed hers away. In that action, she could tell he was a little more than peeved. Pissed was probably more accurate. She wondered why her aura would annoy him so, until she was within hearing range of her group that is. Even from the other side of the village, she could hear Inuyasha's yelling and insults directed towards his elder brother.

As she neared her group, she surveyed her friends to see their reactions. Sango and Miroku were off to the side; Miroku meditating, or attempting to as she could see his brow was furrowed. And Sango next to him (not too close of course, she wasn't stupid enough to be that close to the hentai) and was polishing her Hiraikotsu. She wasn't terribly happy either, with a deep frown on her face. Shippo had immediately rushed to Rin and was attempting to pull her further into the village to play with the village children and get away from Inuyasha. It was when she turned to gaze at Rin that she became upset.

Rin was gripping Sesshomaru's hakama tightly with one hand, tears were gathering quickly in her eyes and threatening to spill over, and her other hand was grasped tightly on her face, smothering what Kagome was sure were sobs as she saw the girls small form almost violently shaking.

Her aura flared violently, and most of the groups' heads swiveled to gauge her reaction. That is, except for Inuyasha. He didn't turn from his position in front of her, he merely became silent and stilled, and waited for the inevitable pain that was sure to follow.

She shifted her basket of herbs to one side and spoke with a low and highly dangerous voice. "Inuyasha."

Said hanyou laughed nervously and turned to face her. What greeted him was a sight he was familiar with. Kagome's face was set in a harsh scowl, and her eyes he swore burned hotter than the flames of hell. He was not looking forward to what followed this look. "Y-Yes, K-Kagome." He stuttered.

"I understand you are not fond of your brother, nor the New Moon-."

"Kagome-."

"Silence baka. However, that does not give you the right to act as you have."

"But-."

"Sit." THUMP. Inuyasha muttered something, but at this point she was past caring. "I don't care what you say in front of your brother, or in front of Sango, Miroku, or I. Even Shippo can handle your foul language and your stupid insults. But if I ever see you speak like that in front of Rin again, if you EVER bring her to tears like you did today, I swear to Kami, you will beg me to say 'it' when I'm through with you." With this she walked forward, purposely stepping on Inuyasha, before stopping and bowing low in front of Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I am deeply sorry for Inuyasha's behavior. I shall watch after Rin in the village today. If it pleases you, I know of a clearing just east from here that is spacious enough for you to beat a _certain hanyou_ to your heart's content." With this she stood, reached for Rin's hand, and walked over the same hanyou – making sure to dig her heels in - before muttering another 'sit' and making her way into the village.


	4. Surprise

My apologies guys! I'm so sorry about being late again! I'll try to be on time this coming week. Also this is a pretty short chapter, so I think I'll put the next one up a little sooner than usual, I'm thinking Wednesday. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter!

Note: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. *sobbing* Rumiko Takahashi does.

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Chapter 4 - Surprise

Sesshomaru was – surprised. Which was odd. He had not expected the miko to react that way to the hanyou. In the past, she had furiously yelled 'sit' a few hundred times and then sheepishly apologized, without using the proper honorific with his name. She had always had horrific manners. But this time, she had seemed cold and calculating, yet fiery and clearly livid. She had made threats she was clearly intending to go through with if her tone was anything to go by. All on behalf of his ward. Then she had apologized, and been polite. She had treated him as his station dictated he should be, by bowing and using his honorific. Although, he was annoyed at her assumption that he would want to beat his brother. Mostly because she was right. Yes, he was surprised. And curious. He did not like being surprised. Or curious. At least not where a human was concerned.


	5. Honor

Hey guys! I've enjoyed hearing from those of you that have reviewed, it really helps to get feedback like that. Glad you guys have been patient with me as well. I'll do my best to stay on time with updating, but I do have to warn you that finals are coming up. Anywhoo! On to the next chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 5 - Honor

"Rin-chan." Kagome had been watching over Rin and Shippo for at least an hour now. The two played their usual games, and Rin looked happy enough to fool Shippo, but Kagome could feel the turmoil in Rin's aura. She had been hoping that Shippo would distract her from what had happened, but so far it had not worked. She knew she needed to do something to atone for what Inuyasha-baka had done to her.

"Yes, Kagome-sama." At this, Kagome gave her a pointed look. "Er, I mean Kagome-chan." Kagome smiled gently and gestured for Rin to join her where she was sitting. She knew she needed to talk to Rin alone and quickly turned to Shippo.

"Shippo." Shippo looked at Kagome and the look she was giving him. He knew that look because Kagome would sometimes use it when she wanted to talk to Sango alone. That look meant 'Girl Talk'.

"Mama, we forgot to get the candy for Rin. May I go get it from your bag?"

"Of course, Shippo. That would be lovely." Shippo quickly bounded away towards Kaede's hut. It was times like these that she was immensely proud of him. He was so much smarter than the other two boys in their group. Shippo at least could take a hint.

"Rin-chan, would you like to talk about what happened?" Rin pursed her lips. She had not wanted anyone to worry about her. Lord Sesshomaru had said so many times that showing emotions was a weakness. She didn't want to be weak. She wanted to be strong like her lord.

"Were you scared?" Kagome continued questioning Rin. She knew Rin, because the girl reminded her so much of herself. And she knew she would not feel better until she had spoken to someone. "It's okay to be scared, you know. I get scared all the time."

Rin looked up at Kagome, shocked. "You do?" 'Lady Kagome gets scared? But, she acts so strong. Today she even acted like Lord Sesshomaru.'

"Of course. I'm only human you know. No matter how much I train, no matter how much time I spend fighting demons like Naraku, I still get scared. And that's okay. Because lucky for both of us, we have friends – and Lords – who stand with us and protect us."

Rin looked at Kagome for a moment before she jumped and threw herself at Kagome, crying. "Inuyasha-san *sniffle* said mean things *sniffle* about Milord. And *gasp* Rin was too *sniffle* scared *sniffle* to defend his honor." As she finished speaking, Rin leaned further into Kagome and began sobbing.

For a moment, Kagome was stunned. 'Rin is upset because she did not defend Sesshomaru's honor.' Still unsure of how to comfort the girl, she decided to do what her own mother had done for her when she was upset. Gently stroking the girl's hair, she began to softly sing a section from one of her favorite songs.

"Come stop your crying

It will be alright

Just take my hand

Hold it tight

I will protect you

From all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

For one so small,

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you,

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart

No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart, always"

Rin lifted her head once more, still sniffling, but no longer crying. "Kagome-chan."

"Yes, Rin-chan?"

"Why did Inuyasha-san say such mean things to Milord?"

"Hmmm. I'll tell you a secret Rin." At this, Rin's eyes widened and Kagome could detect a small amount of excitement in her aura. Kagome leaned close and cupped her hands around one of Rin's ears. "It's because he's scared too."

Rin leaned back and whispered in awe, "Really?"

"Yeah. You see Rin? Everyone gets scared sometimes." Rin once more leaned into Kagome, this time to give her a quick hug.

"Thank you Kagome-chan."

"You're very welcome Rin." Just as she had closed her mouth around Rin's name, Shippo came bounding back into the clearing with a handful of candy, grinning from ear to ear. Boy, did that child have impeccable timing.

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Song: "You'll Be In My Heart" - Phil Collins


	6. Unsure

I want to thank you guys for your support. Even just seeing how many people have favorited and followed my story can seriously make my day. So thanks guys, you are the best!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 6 - Unsure

Sesshomaru had just finished beating the hanyou. Just as the miko had suggested. Even in the clearing she had suggested. He was not sure why, but he did. 'It was in return for helping Rin'. Yes, that was an acceptable reasoning. A quick gust of the wind brought a scent to him that he was not pleased to smell. His ward was crying again. He had thought the miko was capable enough to watch after Rin, but clearly he was mistaken.

He followed the scent quickly, but paused as the soft sound of singing reached his ears. He reeled in his aura and walked quietly to the edge of the forest. There he was surprised to see Rin in the arms of the miko. And it was the miko that was singing. He watched closely as Rin calmed in the miko's arms. Watched as the miko gently stroked his ward's hair. Watched as the miko finished her song and leaned in to place a kiss on his ward's head.

For the first time in a long time, Sesshomaru was left speechless. Well, speechless within his own mind. He was not sure what to think. He was not sure what to do. He was unsure. Sesshomaru did not like being unsure. 'The miko is making this Sesshomaru feel things he does not wish to feel.'


	7. Concern

My apologies for being late... again. Since I seem to like posting on Saturdays rather than Fridays, I think I'll just go ahead and switch my posting day. Hope you guys don't mind to much, but I'm hoping I'll be more consistent that way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 7 - Concern

Sesshomaru knew what he must do. He must consult with Bokusenou. He stepped from the cover of the forest and flickered his youkai to alert the miko to his presence. He watched as she stiffened and stood to face Sesshomaru. He was amused to see the blush on her face. She knew he had witnessed her interaction with Rin.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Kagome bowed low. Kami how she hoped he wouldn't be angry. She had acted too familiar with Rin. "I-."

"Miko, this Sesshomaru has urgent business to attend to. Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un will remain with your group until this Sesshomaru returns. Understood?"

"H-Hai, Sesshomaru-sama." Once more Kagome bowed low until she felt Sesshomaru turn away. Sesshomaru could smell her fear. Normally he would be pleased. But again, his feelings were odd around the miko. He did not want her to fear him. At least not this time. She had done well to calm his ward. He did not want her to think he was angry because of the familiarity she had shown with Rin. He knew she would act familiar with Rin from the beginning, as that was her way.

He turned slightly. "Miko."

"Hai?"

He turned to gaze at Rin as she played with the kit. She was happy and no longer smelled of tears. He found he was glad for the miko's comforting. "You have done well." With that he turned and left, wasting no more time. He _needed_ to see Bokusenou. He was too concerned for the miko's feelings than he liked.


	8. Confusion

I'm so sorry about the wait... again. Clearly I can't promise an exact day that I will post. I'll make it up to you guys by posting two chapters on Christmas. Happy Holidays! Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 8 - Confusion

 _Previously_

 _"_ _Miko."_

 _"_ _Hai?"_

 _"_ _You have done well."_

She felt numb. That was the only way to describe this feeling. She wanted to address what had happened. But she couldn't bring herself to think anything. She was so confused. After Sesshomaru left, she had told Shippo and Rin to return to the village and have Sango and Miroku look after them. Shippo had worried about her, she seemed off after her encounter with Sesshomaru. But he recognized _this_ look as being the 'I need alone time' look. He grabbed Rin and left for the village. Once again, Kagome thanked the Kami's for sending Shippo to her.

She had wandered for a while, but as always, she simply ended up at the Goshinboku. Geez, was she predictable or what? Nevertheless, she took a seat amongst the roots of the tree. Leaning her head back to rest on the smooth bark, she took a deep, long breath. She needed to meditate. She wasn't any good at it, but at least she would be able to clear her mind.

Rolling her shoulders, she settled into a comfortable position. The best way for her to clear her mind was to focus on taking deep and even breaths. Once even enough, she focused on tensing all of her muscles, and then relaxing them one by one. By the time she was finished, she was calm enough to begin.

She figured she should start with working with her miko powers, as that was the reason Kaede even taught her how to meditate, and after this she probably wouldn't want to meditate for a while. She allowed her reiki to come to the surface of her skin. Then she pushed it from her, first forming a barrier. She then forced more and more of her reiki into the barrier until she felt it was strong enough. Lastly, she merely held it in place. Barriers were nearly useless if you couldn't hold them up long enough. First minutes passed. Then surprisingly a few hours as well. Although she wasn't sure of the exact time frame, she knew this was the longest she had ever been able to hold a barrier. And on top of that, she wasn't even tired. That was odd. She shook off this feeling of indecision. Deciding she had spent enough time on her powers, she let her reiki dissipate back into her body. Now she needed to think.

She mentally shifted through the events of the day. First, her 'fight' with Inuyasha. Looking back, she felt she handled it well enough. She also gave herself a metaphorical pat in the back for managing to remember to be respectful towards Sesshomaru. Next, she looked over how she handled Rin. With that, although she was still amazed at why Rin had been upset, she thought she had done flawlessly. Her mother would be proud. Taking a deep breath, she finally brought herself to revisit her last encounter with Sesshomaru.

When he had walked into the clearing a mere minute after Shippo had returned, Kagome _knew_ he had heard and seen all that had passed with Rin. And Kami, was she afraid, and embarrassed to boot. Not only had he heard her _sing_ , he had watched her be entirely too familiar with his ward. But thinking back on his expression, or lack thereof, she knew he wasn't angry. The problem was, she didn't know why. He had every right to be. She was touching what was his. Yet, he did not address it. Furthermore, he almost thanked her! The Lord Sesshomaru had in essence thanked her.

'Deep breath, Kagome. So this is a bit surprising, so what? At least you're not dead, right?' Yeah, that's right. Think positive. She was still alive. And she had pleased Sesshomaru. Was it really that shocking to think he was glad that she had quelled Rin's fears and stopped her crying? If he cared enough to keep her around, then he probably wouldn't want her to cry.

'Also, he left Rin with your group. He trusted Rin to be protected by your group.' A voice in her head told her to stop being so fearful and get over all of this. 'Go back to the village and protect Rin, as is your job for the time being.' With a self-assured nod, Kagome opened her eyes. She was surprised to find it was nearly dusk. That was the longest she had ever meditated. 'Well, there are firsts for everything.' Standing, stretching, and dusting herself off, she turned in the direction of the village and set off. Everything was once again right in her mind.


	9. Love

Hello all! I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and extremely Happy Holidays! I have a lot to be grateful for this holiday season, one joy in particular being the stupendous support I've been receiving for this story. It took me a long time to get up the courage to begin posting, and because of you guys I plan on continuing to do so long after I finish this story.

I will admit, however, that I got a little bit scared to continue. During the rush and anxiety of finals, I found it hard to find inspiration in keeping up my writing. (That would be why it took me a few days to post, I was kind of afraid to move ahead with a story that I might not be able to finish.) But thankfully, I continued to receive fantastic reviews, favs and follows from you all and I knew I couldn't quit so soon. So thanks guys, I can't even begin to describe what your support means to me. Okay, enough sappiness! On to the story! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 9 - Love

Sango fidgeted once more. Miroku had to stifle a smirk at her behavior. She got this way every time Kagome was off on her own. He had to admit, he too was worried that she had been gone so long. However, he could feel her aura even from this distance, and he could tell she was fine. In fact…

"Sango dear, stop worrying, Kagome is _fine_."

"But Miroku! She's been gone for hours. What if Sesshomaru did something to her?"

"Sango, you heard what Shippo said. Sesshomaru didn't even get within five feet of Kagome. She's fine! In fact, she's on her way back right now."

Sango whipped her head to level a glare at the houshi. "You knew she was coming back, and you didn't say so?" She whacked the back of his head and stood to leave the hut. But as she took her first step, Miroku reached out and took a hold of her wrist. "What?"

"Perhaps we should let Kagome return on her own time. She may still need to be alone for a few more minutes."

Sango sighed. She was reluctant to follow Miroku's advice, but she knew he was right. When Kagome got like this, she seemed to relish every single second she had alone, and she should respect that. And although she worried, she knew the houshi had been keeping an eye on Kagome all day. She returned to her seat and resigned herself to waiting for Kagome's return. "Alright, I will wait."

Miroku wasn't sure what possessed him to do this, and he was sure he'd be paying for it momentarily, but he decided it was worth it. He reached over and gently grasped Sango's hand in his own, giving a firm and reassuring squeeze. He was pleasantly surprised to feel Sango return the gesture, even going a step further to lean her head on his shoulder. Kami did he love this woman. As she let go of his hand, he felt the need to squeeze something else belonging to his dear Sango.

A resounding slap echoed through Kaede's hut. "Hentai!"

Sango shifted a few feet away from Miroku. It was just like him to ruin their best moments together. She looked over at the houshi to glare at him once more, but found she was unable when she viewed him. He was cupping his reddened cheek and had the most ridiculous grin on his face. He was infuriating, yes, but she couldn't help but love him.


	10. Return

As promised, two chapters in one night. Hope I can start your day off well with this one, since its all touchy-feely. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 10 - Return

As Kagome neared Kaede's hut, she heard a sound she was all too familiar with; a slap followed by "Hentai!" She couldn't help but giggle. Miroku was so predictable, but she knew that Sango responded that way more out of habit than actual anger. It wasn't hard to tell when looking at the taijiya that she was head over heels for Miroku, nor was it hidden that since meeting Sango, Miroku's _cursed hand_ only ever wandered toward one woman's rear end. Those two were kidding themselves by denying their love. As Kagome saw it, it was only a matter of time until they admitted it.

Upon hearing Kagome's approach, Shippo jumped up and ran outside to once again tackle Kagome to the ground.

"Shippo! Wait did I say just this morning?"

"But Mama, you aren't carrying anything this time." Kagome sighed at this, no matter what she said, she knew Shippo would continue to do this. She might as well enjoy it. She flipped over so that she was leaning over top of Shippo. Wiggling her fingers mischievously, she set about tickling Shippo to her heart's content.

Most of the hut's occupants left the hut to view this ridiculous scene. Sango and Miroku looked on in humor while Rin bounced lightly on her feet. Whereas Shippo continued to squirm greatly under Kagome's ministrations. "Mama! *Giggle*, stop!"

"No! This is what you get Shippo!" Rin giggled watching the miko tickle Shippo until he was in tears. Then she bounded forward and began tickling the miko. She didn't want to miss out on all of this fun. "Ah! Rin! No!" Kagome ended up falling next to Shippo, curling in on herself to avoid Rin's probing fingers. It wasn't long before the kit joined in as well. Kagome's body shook heavily with laughter.

"Alright, alright! You have bested me!" She managed to force out amongst her chuckles. She reached up and dragged the two children onto the ground with her, giving them her best and fiercest bear hug. All three of them lay on the ground, breathing heavily with large, goofy smiles on their faces.

Miroku took this opportunity to speak to Kagome, clearing his throat he began. "Ah, Lady Kagome! We are glad you have returned. Did you enjoy your day?"

Kagome lifted her head up to look at the houshi and taijiya standing in the huts doorway. She gave a sheepish smile before replying. "I wouldn't say I enjoyed it per se, but it was quite eventful." She trailed off before deciding she needed to explain. "Guys, I-."

"Kagome." Sango looked at her friend purposefully. "You don't need to explain, we all need a little alone time every now and then."

Kagome smiled softly. She was glad that Sango understood and didn't push her. She would actually rather forget most of what had happened today and move on. Thanking the Kamis once more for sending her such amazing friends, she stood up to make her way into the hut, taking both the children's hands in her own. She hoped that tomorrow would be much less eventful.


	11. Different

Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful New Years! Enjoy the next chapter. 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 11 - Different

"Ah, Sesshomaru. So kind of you to visit." The old tree watched the taiyoukai closely. He knew why the pup had come, but he rather liked watching him flounder for words to express himself. "Is something on your mind?"

"Why else would this Sesshomaru be here?"

"I'm hurt. Here I'd thought you'd come to have a chat with an old friend." He watched on in amusement as Sesshomaru silently fumed. "Really Sesshomaru, what troubles you?" Bokusenou waited patiently for Sesshomaru to gather his thoughts.

"This Sesshomaru is – confused."

"That does not happen often."

"Indeed." Bokusenou watched as Sesshomaru pursed his lips, gazing towards an unknown point past his branches. He would not push the boy. Being a tree demon, he had an eternity to wait and seemingly endless patience. No, he would wait as long as Sesshomaru needed. Surprisingly, it did not take as long as he thought it would. A few hours and the taiyoukai had once more turned his attention back to the ancient tree.

"My brother's miko. She is _different_."

"How so?" Of course, Bokusenou was one of the few beings in the Feudal Era that knew just how and why the miko was different. He knew much that others would not due to the network of forests. What the trees new, Bokusenou knew. However, it was not his information to share, and so Sesshomaru would not learn of the miko's origins from his mouth.

"Before, she was loud, annoying, and had dreadful manners. She did not show one increment of respect to any being. She wore unsightly clothes and did not act as a miko of her standing should. But now, something has changed. She treats this Sesshomaru with respect, and she does not encourage my brother's poor behavior. She has even begun to wear the attire of a miko. I am confused as to why she has changed."

"She has grown up, Sesshomaru."

"What do you mean?"

"When you first met the miko, she was a mere child. But years have passed, Sesshomaru. And both time and the experiences she has faced have forced her to grow up. Were she anyone but the Shikon Miko, she may still have her innocence. But she is not so lucky. She, like you, faced circumstances beyond her control that would not allow her to remain ignorant."

"She is _nothing_ like this Sesshomaru."

"Forgive me Sesshomaru. Perhaps I am becoming senile in my old age, making connections where there are none."

"Hn." Sesshomaru turned to leave the clearing. If he left now, perhaps he could return to Edo by the following night. He did not wish to rush, however. He needed the time to think on what Bokusenou had told him. He may have been too quick to judge the girl in the past, because she was just that, a girl. Yes, he needed time to think, for there was much to think about.

Bokusenou watched as Sesshomaru left his clearing, and would have shaken his head in exasperation if he could. The boy was just as stubborn as his father had been. He remembered having a similar conversation not long after InuTaisho met Izayoi. The great taiyoukai had been just as confused by the feelings she had stirred in him as Sesshomaru was by the miko. He settled back to rest so he may listen to the trees. He looked forward to watching those two, perhaps Sesshomaru would learn just what was so special about humans.


	12. Similar

Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, I know its been a while. Winter break is almost over, so I should be posting more regularly here soon. Any-who, enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 12 – Similar

Sesshomaru did just as he said he would, and took his time in his return to Edo. He thought on everything Bokusenou had said, and he had come to terms with most of it. But one thing still bothered him.

 _"_ _She, like you, faced circumstances beyond her control that would not allow her to remain ignorant."_

What could make a mere human, a woman at that, have in common with him. She had been alive for a blink of an eye compared to him. She was a miko. She was a child. The only thing that he could think of that was even remotely similar between the two of them was that they had both adopted children of opposite species. He had taken in Rin – a human. And the miko had taken in the kit – a demon. Beyond that, he could not fathom what Bokusenou could have possibly been referencing.

'That girl is nothing like this Sesshomaru, and never will be.'

Satisfied that everything had been settled within his mind, he focused on the last stretch before Edo. That was when he felt it. A relatively strong demonic aura. And it was _in_ Edo. He let loose a fierce and angry growl. If he arrived to find is ward injured, or worse, there would be death.


	13. Dread

Here's the next chapter, enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 13 - Dread

It had happened so fast. One moment, they were all relaxing in Kaede's hut, the next, a demon was attacking a village. Kami, why did it have to be on the night of the New Moon? Sango and Miroku had reacted first, grabbing their respective weapons and running to meet the demon, with Kirara not far behind. Even Inuyasha had run out to try to help. However, Kagome had paused, looking back at her charges. She couldn't leave them here. Not only could she not imagine leaving them here alone, she couldn't imagine Sesshomaru being very happy if he found out she left Rin unprotected, even for a moment. She didn't have time to think before the demon had burst into the hut, she merely had time to react.

She held her bow out in front of her horizontally and used it to help focus her reiki. In a matter of seconds, a barrier had burst forth to surround herself and, more importantly, the other occupants of the hut. No sooner had the barrier been created did the demon attack. The demon – a grotesque looking oni (as if they came any other way) by the looks of it – pounded again and again against her barrier. If she wasn't so worried about Rin, Shippo, and Kaede, she would have probably pissed her pants by now. Instead, she merely focused on enforcing the barrier with increasing amounts of reiki.

But, it was one thing to hold a barrier without resistance. It was completely different when a demon was breaking away her barrier bit by bit every time she tried to make it stronger. A rotten stench made its way to Kagome, and she realized that the oni had opened its mouth to speak.

"Shards." Kagome was filled with such dread at the oni's word. It was her fault that damned demon had attacked Edo. The stupid shards of the Shikon jewel had led it here. Because of her, countless villagers were either injured or dead. 'And what about Miroku and Sango? What about Inuyasha? If the demon is here, where are they?' Her body grew cold and tears quickly pooled in her eyes. She was to blame.

No, she would not stand for this. Anger quickly overtook dread, and Kagome stood to prepare to fight the oni. Lifting her bow, drawing and arrow, and aiming for the oni's head, Kagome prepared to fire.

"You will die for this demon! You will die for what you have done!" She let her arrow fly and it hit the oni straight between the eyes. It was immediately turned to ash, and then there was silence. For a moment she just stood there, and then she felt the toll of using so much reiki in the past day, and was out before she hit the floor.


	14. Foolish

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

Also, I thought I should clarify a few of my writing style thingies. Probably should have done this a few chapters ago, but oh well. Better late than never.

Dialogue: "dialogue"

Inner Thoughts: 'thoughts'

Emphasis: _italics_

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. I also do not make any profit from them whatsoever.

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Chapter 14 - Foolish

"Kaede, what the hell happened?"

"Kagome protected us."

"Kagome is the one that is supposed to be protected."

"Then perhaps ye should have stayed with her."

"Feh."

She recognized the voices. It was Inuyasha and Kaede, and they were talking about her. Why were they talking about her when she was so close? 'I do _not_ need to be protected.' She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't. She felt so heavy and everything felt muted, like she was underneath a pile of wool blankets. She couldn't even move. What had happened?

"Miko." Stillness and silence followed. Even Kagome's breathing faltered. She knew that voice. All waited with baited breath to hear what the taiyoukai would say. Only Kaede broke the silence.

"How can I help ye, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"What has happened here?" Silence prevailed once more. Kagome could hear some shuffling. She figured Inuyasha was trying to avoid talking to his brother. She didn't blame him after what had happened the previous day.

"A demon attacked the village." Kaede did not say why the demon had attacked, but it didn't really need to be said. It was always the shards that brought them.

"And the miko?" Wait, was the Sesshomaru asking about her wellbeing? Since when did he care? No, silly Kagome. He doesn't care, he's curious, that's all.

"Kagome used too much reiki when fighting the demon. She is currently recovering."

"Hn. Foolish." She heard a swish of fabric followed by a sigh from Kaede. Sesshomaru was gone. But she hardly cared. She was more concerned with what he had said.

'He called me foolish. I protected his ward _with my life_ , and he calls me foolish? What the hell?' Using her anger, she forced her way through the thick wool feeling until she was able to open her eyes.

Once she was conscious, she had only one thing on her mind, one thing to say, "That bastard!"


	15. Turmoil

Next chapter, enjoy!

Oh, before I forget. I just wanted to let you guys know that these chapters will get longer. I agree that it's hard to gauge a story when the chapters are short and choppy. Slowly but surely the chapters are getting longer, I promise. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters, nor do I make any profit from any of this stuff.

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Chapter 15 - Turmoil

She pushed herself up with all intention of hunting Sesshomaru down and giving him a piece of her mind. Unfortunately, other occupants in the hut had other ideas, as she was currently being pinned down by both Sango and Miroku.

"Lady Kagome," Miroku spoke calmly, "perhaps you should rest a little longer. You used a lot of reiki yesterday, and I highly doubt you would be able to face Lord Sesshomaru even on a good day."

"That bastard called me foolish! I protected his ward _with my life_ , and he has the gall to call me foolish!"

"Kagome, it's not like he stayed around to hear what happened. He just took Rin and left. Maybe he doesn't know that you protected her." Sango soothed, praying to the Kamis that Kagome would listen to some sense.

'They are right, he probably doesn't even care what the hell happens to me, as long as Rin is safe. And since when do I give a damn what he thinks?' She slumped back on to the cot and let out a frustrated huff. Opening her eyes, she glanced around. Taking quick note that they were likely in a new hut, as Kaede's was destroyed last night, she then forced her attention of viewing everyone that was clustered around her. It didn't take her long to notice the absence of one inuhanyou. 'He was just here, where the heck did he go to so fast?'

"Where's Inuyasha?" She watched as every single person in the hut averted their eyes. Kami, she should have known the answer by now. Pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation, she huffed once more before attempting to sit up in the cot once more.

"Kagome?" It was Sango that spoke first, looking at her in concern.

"Guys, come on, I'm fine. We've been through this before. Inuyasha can do whatever the heck he wants to, he's a big boy who can make his own decisions."

"Are you sure?" She gave Sango a pointed look, and a long one at that.

"Yes I'm sure, and I have been for a few months now." Grumbling, she looked around at the occupants of the hut once more. She noticed that Sango and Miroku had a few bandages peeking out from under their clothes.

"How many were injured?" She whispered, almost brokenly. "How many…" 'Died.' She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, almost as if saying it would make it real.

"We are the only ones injured, Lady Kagome. None of the villagers suffered any wounds." Miroku assured, "We were lucky the oni was after shards, it only attacked us because we were in its way. It didn't even spare a glance for the villagers."

' _Lucky_ it was after the shards. Well that's a first…' She thought to herself. At least she didn't have to help bury anyone, which in itself was a welcome change. Glancing around the hut once more, she felt she should apologize to Kaede.

"Kaede-san, I'm sorry about-"

"Nonsense, child. Ye are not at fault for my hut. Besides, how could I complain when ye likely saved my life? I may be old, but that does not mean I am ready for the afterlife quite yet."

She slumped back on to the cot once again. There was no use fighting with any of them, they were all too stubborn to give her any leeway anyways. They would never allow her to take responsibility for the damage the shards always caused, even though she knew. Every bad thing that had happened in the Feudal Era for the past three years was probably her fault. She was the one who shattered the jewel.

"Kagome?" It was Shippo this time. She should have known he would pick up on her change in attitude.

"It's okay Shippo, I probably just need to rest for a little longer." With that she turned to face the wall, signaling her intention to leave the conversation for a while. 'I just want this all to be over. I want the damage I caused to end.'


	16. Rejection

Alright next chapter. Stepping back from the angst on the next few ones, these are just a bit more light-hearted.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 16 - Rejection

Just a few days later and the group was back to traveling. As usual, Inuyasha kept a brisk pace at the front, Miroku, Sango and Kirara kept pace in the middle, and Kagome and Shippo lagged at the back. Except one thing was unusual, it was silent. There was no grumbling from Inuyasha, no groping and "hentai" shouts. Even Shippo was uncharacteristically silent. They all had a reason to be silent, too; Kagome.

She hadn't hardly said anything since leaving the village. Her responses were short and clipped. And if a question required a longer answer, she merely shrugged. Most of the group could wager a guess on what was up, they could tell her mood had soured after the whole demon attack and shard discussion, but none of them were sure of what to do. They just hoped something would come around to snap her out of it.

Fortunately, a certain wolf prince decided to show up at this exact time.

Kagome tensed as she sensed the two jewel shards present in Kouga's legs just a few moments before a dust cyclone appeared, disappeared, and left the wolf standing just in front of her grasping her hands.

"And how is my woman today?" Silence. Kagome opened her mouth a few times, but nothing came out. She didn't really know what to say. "Should I take your silence as acceptance? Ready to finally become my mate?"

The inutachi waited with baited breaths, hoping that this could bring her out of her stupor. (Even Inuyasha kept his trap shut, which was surprising in itself.) They weren't disappointed in the least.

"No."

"No?"

"No." She wrenched her hands from Kouga's grasp and fisted them at her sides. She was NOT in the mood for this today, or ever really. She was tired of being a possession. She leveled a glare that could have rivaled one of Sesshomaru's, and spoke with a cold fury. "I'm done, Kouga. No more. I am not your woman; I will never be your woman."

"What are you talking about? Has someone put you up to this? If dog breath threatened you, I'll-"

"No Kouga, you just never listened to me. I've never wanted to be your woman. You're just too stubborn and pigheaded to listen. Go back home Kouga. Go be Ayame's mate, like you're supposed to be. You made a promise. I think it's about time you fulfilled it."

"But-"

"No, Kouga. Enough. Don't you think you've been running from your responsibilities long enough?"

He stood in front of Kagome, stalk still, gaping. It took a few minutes before he shook himself and came to a decision. He looked at her for a while, as if studying her, before he gave a quick nod, smirked, and was gone leaving behind a cloud of dust.

The inutachi watched as Kagome stared into the distance where Kouga had disappeared, before turning and giving them her own smug smirk.

"I think I finally got through to that moron."

It seems there were firsts for everything. It was certainly a first for the inutachi to be glad that Kouga came around.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Sorry if you're Kouga fans, but he's not going to be in this fanfic. So i'm writing him out early on. :P

(Although, if you really miss him, I might be able to squeeze him into the final battle) ;)


	17. Amends

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Sorry it's so short. Sesshomaru isn't the most talkative character, so his chapters tend to be pretty short. Also, I have been informed that I can't take Kouga out quite yet because he still has the two Shikon shards. Oh well, I guess he can stick around a little longer. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 17 - Amends

" _Sigh_." 48.

" _Sigh_." 49.

" _Sigh_." 50. Fifty times, his ward had sighed. In this day alone. She'd been sighing since they'd left Edo. He'd only bothered to start counting today. It was growing bothersome.

"Rin."

"Yes milord." She sounded cheerful, but when he turned slightly to look at her, he could tell that he demeanor was forced.

"What ails you?" He turned fully to watch her in her response. He couldn't help but feel faint amusement when his ward avoided his eyes and dug her toe into the ground a few times.

"Nothing milord."

"Rin."

" _Sigh."_ 51\. "It's about Lady Kagome." At this Sesshomaru stiffened. Why did it have to be the miko? He cursed the Kami's for his luck.

"What, Rin?"

"Why'd you call her foolish? She was just protecting me, Shippo, and Kaede-sama."

She protected them? He had assumed she'd just wasted her energy in battle. But she was a miko of substantial enough power, she shouldn't have been able to 'run out' of reiki. Apparently he would be visiting the inutachi ahead of schedule. He had questions, and as much as he hated it, it seems he had amends to make as well.


	18. Debt

Hey guys, sorry for the wait. Things have been... interesting. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 18 - Debt

She was trying her honest best to not be twitchy, she really was, but she couldn't help it. He'd been following them all day. She had felt his aura just at the edge of her senses, _all day_. And she couldn't tell Inuyasha, because she knew he'd just freak out and start a fight with him. Of course, she knew it'd happen eventually, but she had a habit of putting off headaches as long as she could. And as usual, she managed to jinx herself, because the Ice Prince had just decided to show himself.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha bellowed.

'Right on cue.' Kagome thought ruefully. 'And there's the throbbing, also on cue.' Gripping the bridge of her nose, she tried to will the headache away, but knew it wasn't going to be a fruitful endeavor. 'Why me? Why can't we just have a restful day once in a while? First I had to deal with Kouga yesterday, and today it was Sesshomaru. With my luck, Naraku will show his ugly face the next day. Oh, don't say that stupid! You'll jinx that as well.' She sighed before deciding to pay attention to the two stubborn inus.

Looking up, she almost stepped back in surprise to find everyone in her group, and even Sesshomaru, staring at her.

"What?" She grumbled indignantly. 'Are they really that surprised that I don't want to pay attention to one of their stupid fights?'

"While you were goofing off, the bast-"

"What Inuyasha means to say," Miroku interrupted, "is that apparently Lord Sesshomaru would like to have a word with you."

Kagome swiveled her gaze to appraise the demon lord once more. If she hadn't feared decapitation or severe mauling, she might have laughed at how uncomfortable Sesshomaru looked. He definitely seemed out of his element. Hell, he'd looked more comfortable when he was picking a fight with Inuyasha. Pursing her lips, she wondered how to respond. The instincts her mom had instilled in her as a child told her to play nice and be respectful, but she was still pretty pissed about the 'foolish' comment. 'Somewhere in between then.' She thought mischievously.

"Oh," She ventured, tilting her chin up as she spoke, "I didn't realize Lord Sesshomaru would deign to speak to _foolish_ humans such as myself." She met his gaze evenly, not flinching as he glowered after her statement.

The rest of the inutachi watched worriedly as Kagome clearly challenged Sesshomaru. Although they preferred that she not die, they knew there wasn't anything they could do to change it if the Ice Prince so wished it.

'I am dead. I am dead. I am _so_ dead. And eventually, when my mom dies and meets me in the afterlife, she will say "I told you so".' She chanted this mantra even as Sesshomaru responded. She watched as he turned to gaze far into an unknown distance and spoke.

"It has come to this Sesshomaru's attention that this Sesshomaru… that I was mistaken. Rin has corrected my misconception, and I find myself," he paused here, turning to regard her once more, "in your debt."

She gaped for a few moments, opening and closing her mouth a few times not unlike a fish, before she finally dignified his statement with a response. "Well, shit."


	19. Acceptance

Hey guys, hope you don't mind the spotty updating. I know it sucks, and I'm trying to be as consistent as possible. I really appreciate your patience. On another note, we're getting to a part in the story where I struggled to find inspiration, so I'm not too confident in these upcoming chapters. We'll see how this goes. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 19 – Acceptance

 _Previously_

 _"…I find myself, in your debt."_

 _"Well, shit."_

'She's not very eloquent, is she?' Sesshomaru thought. 'Although I suppose one may lose eloquence in the face of surprise.' He continued to watch on as the inutachi rounded on the miko and tried to get some response out of her. After his announcement, she had muttered one little phrase and then remained stock still, and utterly shell-shocked. Even now, after a few minutes, her mouth remained open in a small 'o' shape and her eyes were widened showing off her crystal blue irises to an even greater degree than normal.

He focused once more on the group, trying to ignore the intenseness with which he had studied the miko, and heard the houshi's exclamation at knowing how to rouse the miko from her stupor. He watched as the houshi lowered his hand strategically so that it edged closer and closer to the miko's backside. Unsurprisingly, once the monk had found firm purchase on her rear, there was a resounding slap and, as a result, a very stunned monk.

"Hentai." The miko muttered before pushing her way through her group to stand a few feet in front of the stoic taiyoukai.

"As much as this means to me Sesshomaru-sama, I don't really think you're indebted to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you are acknowledging my efforts to protect Rin. But, not only did I do that out of duty, I did it because I care for Rin and I did not want her to get hurt."

Sesshomaru was surprised once more by the little onna. Not only had she been one of the few that he had ever been indebted to, she was also refusing. A small part of him was offended by her disregard, but his astonishment at the miko's selflessness was unfortunately winning out. Now he felt more indebted to her than he had before.

"Miko, it is because of your feelings towards Rin that I am indebted to you. Is it not true that you would have protected her even if I had not asked you to?"

"Yeah, I guess. But that isn't really relevant. You asked me to, so I did."

"You are too humble, Miko." He watched almost in satisfaction as the miko blushed at his words, glancing down at the ground as if to hide her embarrassment. He couldn't help but notice the sway of her long ebony hair in the wind, distracting him temporarily, before the miko fumbled slightly with her response.

"I… You… Oh fine, whatever. You can be indebted to me if you want to, it's not like you'll take no for an answer." In a move reminiscent of his ward, Kagome ground the toe of her shoe into the dirt before mumbling to herself. "Stubborn inus and their stupid pride."


	20. Tension

1/2 chapters that I'm posting today. I know it's late, sorry...

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 20 - Tension

"Hey," Kagome began, quickly getting Sesshomaru's attention once more, "why don't you stick around while I figure this out. Maybe join us for dinner?" She watched with baited breath to see his reaction, and was quite surprised to see some unknown emotion flutter through his eyes. She'd only ever seen anger and boredom from the stoic lord, but what she was seeing now was… confusion? But before Sesshomaru could deign to respond, Inuyasha felt he needed to put his two cents in.

"What the hell, Kagome? There's no way I'm letting that bastard stick around here!" At this point, the hanyou had stalked up and wrenched her around, digging his claws into her bare arms and angrily growling in her face. "And who the hell do you think you are, making decisions like this? You are not the leader of this group!"

"I may not be the leader, Inuyasha," she forced through her teeth, "however I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Now, either Lord Sesshomaru stays for dinner, or I wander out into a clearing with him _by myself_ to discuss this. Which one sounds better to you?"

Inuyasha grit his teeth together in frustration. 'I would much rather the bastard just went back to where he came from and left us the hell alone.' But he could see the look in Kagome's eyes, her fierce determination. She meant every word that came from her mouth, and she would go through with her plans no matter what he said.

"Keh, whatever, _bitch_." He spat before releasing her and bounding off into the forest, not stopping to look back.

Most of the group suspected Kagome would react with anger, perhaps yelling "sit" before the hanyou was too far away, but being the enigma she was – she did not react as they had expected. Where before she would have reacted with anger, mostly out of habit, now she looked at where the hanyou disappeared with a strange sorrowness in her eyes.

Looking back at her group and Sesshomaru, she put on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and spoke once more. "Come on, we should find a place to settle for the night." She adjusted the straps of her backpack before turning towards the forest to find a clearing.

"Lady Kagome?" Miroku tentatively spoke.

With a voice that sounded of mental weariness, Kagome replied, "Yes, Miroku?"

"Your arms, they are still bleeding from…" He paused, not wanting to add to the tension in the air.

" _Sigh_ , I know. I will dress them when we stop. It's not like I'm going to bleed out from just a few puncture wounds. Besides, they will close on their own in just a few minutes."

None of the remaining inutachi responded, knowing that Kagome _would_ have knowledge of how to heal from them, based on how often Inuyasha had grabbed her like that. In the right light, they could see the pale scars from former encounters that lined her arms.


	21. Riddle

I know it's been waaaaay too long since I updated, and i'm really sorry about that. Finals are coming up, and I've been pretty preoccupied. I'll try not to wait so long between now and the next update. ( - _ - ')

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 21 – Riddle

Sesshomaru found himself stifling a growl as the priestess spoke. He did not like that she spoke with a knowledge behind her words. He also did not like that upon scrutinizing the tanned skin of her arms, he could see small crescent-shaped scars indicating that the hanyou had done this before. Although he hated that he felt so protective of the miko, he was nearly livid knowing that a being with his family's blood was so dishonorable. He made a mental note to never leave Rin alone in his presence before he returned his full attention to his surroundings.

The miko had deemed a small clearing in the shelter of a few towering oaks as an acceptable area to bed for the night, and he took comfort in knowing that soon his debt would be taken care of. It did not sit well with him that he was indebted to her in the first place, so the sooner they talked, the better.

Before he knew it, a soft voice interrupted his deliberations.

"Sesshomaru-sama." He tilted his head towards the voice, making contact with the miko's gaze once more. She took his silence as a go-ahead and spoke again. "Do you have a preference as to what we fix for dinner?"

"This Sesshomaru shall hunt."

"What, no! You're technically our guest, you shouldn't have to hunt for us."

"Miko, I offered and it is no problem." He watched as the miko opened her mouth to argue again. Narrowing his eyes, he conveyed that he wished to continue speaking, and she wisely complied, closing her mouth in resignation. "Do you not need time to consider how my debt will be repaid?"

"I suppose I could use some time to think this over."

"Hn." As he left the clearing, he could hear the miko giving tasks to the others who remained. The orders came easily, rolling off her tongue for what may very be the thousandth time. The hanyou was a fool if he thought he was the leader of their meager group, clearly it was the miko who was actually intelligent enough for the job. Not only that, but it was obvious everyone but the hanyou respected her as well. They merely let the baka believe he was in charge. Made it easier to deal with him, he assumed.

He had underestimated her, to be sure. Every time he came across the onna, he was left with more questions than answers. He hoped, the time he spent with her this evening would alleviate some of his confusion. Then he would be rid of two of his problems – his debt, and the infuriating riddle that was the miko.


	22. Mischievous

Hey guys! Finally back, after far too long... Any-who, good news! Finals are over and a lot of things have been ironed out, so I'm hoping to return to my every other week posting. No promises though, I am not a consistent person (clearly). But no matter what, this story will be finished. Enough chatter, enjoy the next chapter! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 22 – Mischievous

When Sesshomaru returned to the clearing a little later, carrying a relatively good-sized boar, it had an entirely different feeling to it than when he had left. The group had settled in for the night, other than the fact that they were still waiting for dinner, and nothing looked to be different than usual. But there was a clear difference in the air, it felt calm and relaxed. The taijiya was polishing her hiraikotsu, which she seemed to use as a means to calm herself. The houshi was meditating, which seemed to be _his_ unique form of a calming exercise. The kit and the neko were curled together on a strange for of bedding that he presumed belonged to the strange miko. It was when he turned to view the miko that he was surprised once again. 'These emotions are becoming tedious.'

The miko sat in seiza next to the monk, and from what he could tell, was the actual source of the calming aura in the clearing. She was – simply put – radiating it during her meditation. As he moved to place the boar before her, she smirked. 'Now what is she thinking?'

He didn't have to wait long before the miko answered his question for him.

"Sesshomaru-saaaama." She drawled out in a sickly sweet voice. He recognized it as the voice she used before "sitting" the hanyou. It was her mischievous, planning-something-devious voice.

"Miko." Her smile was full-blown now, her eyes – now open - sparkled with glee at whatever madness she had concocted.

"I'm still thinking about our little situation here, sooooo… Would you mind skinning and cleaning that, pleeeaasse." Now she sported a look he had seen far too many times on his wards face. Glistening eyes and a fat, pouting lip. It was an expression not unlike a dog begging for a treat. Unfortunately, he found that like with Rin, he was unable to say no.

Moving to leave in the direction of the stream the miko had placed them by, he stopped just by the miko to impart a little advice.

"You are lucky this Sesshomaru is indebted to you. You push your luck, and were you anyone else, you would already be dead."

As he entered the cover of the trees, he allowed himself a small smirk. He had seen how the miko had tensed, how a shiver had worked its way through her spine at his words. He was glad that the miko still feared him, even if only to a small degree.


	23. Risk

Alright, next chapter! Enjoy! :)

And before I forget, I realized recently that I forgot to give credit for the cover photo! It is a lovely picture done by the amazingly talented YoukaiYume! She has so much amazing art, so go check her out! (I highly recommend her doujinshi _Raindrops._ )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 23 – Risk

There was only one thing she had ever wanted from Sesshomaru. And it wasn't anything easily given. She had spent just barely an hour thinking it over, but she could feel him returning, and knew his patience would only last so long.

'Maybe I should just ask for money and be done with it, that would certainly be simpler and frankly less dangerous for me.'

She could picture how it would go. She would say her part in an eloquent, sales pitch-like manner. And he would glare at her, say something highly derisive, and then he would kill her. She could even picture her grave. "Kagome Higurashi, foolish human who dared to cross Lord Sesshomaru".

Feeling the stoic lord just at the edge of the clearing, she stood and rifled through her pack for her cooking supplies. She at least had until the end of dinner to decide on what course of action to take.

Dinner went entirely too fast, in her opinion. She had made her decision, but she still couldn't be sure that she would walk away from this alive. 'Kamis above, please let this turn out okay. Don't let this be a mistake.' She pleaded and prayed. Standing and setting her empty plate to this side, she motioned for Sesshomaru to follow her before turning to leave the clearing. 'I suppose if I'm going to die, I'd rather my friends not watch.'

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No she's not asking for sex, silly goose. This isn't that kind of story. ;)


	24. Game

Sorry for the wait, my mom broke her computer and borrowed mine... Oh well, hope the chapter is worth the wait. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 24 – Game

Coming to a stop in the next clearing over, Kagome took a deep breath before spinning around to face the taiyoukai behind her. "Sesshomaru-sama, before I tell you what I would like from you, I would like your word that you will not harm me for what I'm going to say."

He didn't say a word. He only offered up one of his darker and more menacing glares. 'Great start, Kagome. You totally insulted him.'

"Never mind…" She trailed off, looking at anything and anywhere but him.

"Miko, cease your stalling."

"H-Hai, Lord Sesshomaru." She swallowed hard before nervously meeting his gaze again. "I had thought that my group and I could benefit from some money…"

"Very well." he interrupted, "How much do you require?"

"However…" She continued. She was desperately trying not to think about how unsurprised he had looked at the thought of her wanting his money. 'Does he really think so little of me? And again, since when do I care what he thinks?' She forged onward with her question. "I instead thought we would gain much more if – if…" She trailed off once again, and decided staring intently at her feet would be a better endeavor. She couldn't do this. She should just take his money and be done. He'd already agreed to that anyways.

She was visibly shaking and she knew it. Not even her school oral reports she'd done in the past had been this nerve wracking. To be fair, now she stood alone in front of a demon that could kill her in the blink of an eye, not thirty students who weren't even paying attention to a word she said.

'Come on!' She urged herself. 'Just say it!'

She stood taller and determinedly met his gaze once more. Fisting her hands at her sides, she opened her mouth and hoped her voice came out firm.

"I believe our group would benefit greatly if you would join us in the fight against Naraku."

"Miko, this Sesshomaru is already pursuing the hanyou."

She huffed in exasperation. 'I thought I was being clear. Okay, let's just reword it.'

"I am aware of that Sesshomaru-sama. What I am asking is that you travel with my group and I, _directly,_ and help us pursue him and eventually defeat him."

There were a few minutes of tense silence before Sesshomaru responded. And although it wasn't the answer she was hoping for, at least she wasn't dead yet.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not?" She whined. 'You sound like a petulant child, Kagome. Please don't stomp your foot and make it worse.' She knew herself too well, and she slowly lowered her foot before she was able to stomp it like she had been planning. She just hoped Sesshomaru hadn't noticed.

Judging by the subtle twitch at the corner of his mouth and the not-so-subtle lifting of his eyebrow, he had seen the motion and was highly amused. 'Damn it! Smooth, Kagome. Real smooth.'

"Because I don't want to." It was her turn to raise her eyebrow. 'Does he realize how childish _he_ sounds? At least I have an excuse, I'm like 18. He's centuries older than I am!"

Despite the risk to her life, she decided to take a chance and nail him right where it hurt. He'd only trapped himself, and she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Even if the guy scared the living daylights out of her, she knew her group needed him if they were to ever defeat Naraku.

She folded her arms and put on her best smirk before continuing. 'It's too bad he doesn't know me better, or else he wouldn't look so smug. He thinks he's won, but he doesn't know how mistaken he is.'

Lifting one of her hands closer to her face, she turned it to act as if she was inspecting her nails and feigned disinterest in the topic at hand. "Hmm, I'm sure you don't want to join us. But you also don't want to be indebted to me. I guess you'll just have to choose one or the other."

Silence. The atmosphere was so thick; she could cut it with a knife. But it was clear she had won this round, just as she had known she would. If she hadn't, she'd be dead. Plain and simple.

"If you need time to think about it, you're welcome to…"

"Very well, Miko. I will play your little game. But you will realize how awful this plan is very soon."


	25. Weary

Alright guys, next chapter. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 25 – Weary

 _Previously_

 _"_ _If you need time to think about it, you're welcome to…"_

 _"_ _Very well, Miko. I will play your little game. But you will realize how awful this plan is very soon."_

The miko visibly slumped at his words, and he wanted desperately for her to change her mind. But he knew it was probably too much to hope for. She was a truly stubborn creature.

He looked into her eyes and was surprised to see a look of utter weariness. It seemed so wrong to see such a look on her face, a face that usually shown in happiness. In that moment, it was hard to believe she was human. He knew she was the youngest adult in the inutachi, but in that moment, she looked almost wise beyond her years.

"I know Sesshomaru." He noticed her slip in forgetting the honorific, but he found he didn't really mind this time. In that moment, she almost seemed his equal, at least in intelligence. He focused in on her once more as she spoke. "I know that this will likely end very badly, but we would be kidding ourselves if we thought – for even one moment – that we could defeat Naraku on our own. We need you and your strength if we truly want to rid this world of him. Besides, I can be very persuasive. I can, no I _will_ get most of the group on my side, I'm sure."

"Inuyasha will not be pleased, miko."

"I know." She whispered, turning away while she lost herself in her thoughts. Her hand found its way to one of her arms, and felt its way over the scabs on its surface. She had a feeling there would be more sometime in the next few days. "But can you really blame him? When I tell him of our agreement, he's going to feel so inadequate. I wouldn't do this to him if I had a choice."

"You do have a choice. You could take the money."

"No I can't. And I never wanted your money in the first place. Besides, this is bigger than us. Bigger than our feelings. The longer we wait, the stronger Naraku gets. It's time to end this." 'It's time to end the pain and suffering I've caused.'

She turned toward the direction of her camp and heaved a great sigh. She needed to speak with Sango and Miroku, and she had a feeling it wasn't going to go as smoothly as it had with Sesshomaru. 'Not that, that really went so smoothly…' Facing Sesshomaru again, she offered a tired smile before speaking to him again.

"Perhaps you could take care of anything you need to in preparation for traveling with us? I need to speak with my group about our arrangement, and I have a feeling it will go better if – if you aren't around." Her smile turned apologetic at the end of her little speech. She was glad to see that, at least as far as she could tell, he was not offended. In fact, he merely inclined his head in acknowledgement before turning in the opposite direction of her group's camp and leaving.

She let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding then reluctantly began her trek back to camp. It was going to be a long night.


	26. Doubt

On to the next! Thanks for your never ending patience. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 26 - Doubt

"Let me get this straight." Sango spoke slowly, a look of severe doubt on her face. "You want Lord Sesshomaru, the demon that has tried to kill us multiple times, to join our group?"

For what had to be the hundredth time she'd answered that question, she replied once more, "Yes."

"Are you out of your mind?" She hissed.

"Probably." She answered sardonically.

"Kagome." Miroku finally spoke up, after finally recovering from his surprise. "You should be taking this more seriously."

At this she sobered. She knew this would be a tough thing to convince them of, and she would need keep up her patience all the way to broaching the subject with _him_. "I'm sorry Miroku, I am. I'm just tired. Today has been an impossibly long day."

There was a silence, the first one since she had told them of her agreement with Sesshomaru. It was long and stiff, and she wanted badly to break it. But she knew there was nothing else she could say, it was up to them now.

"You've been thinking about this long before Lord Sesshomaru found himself indebted to you, haven't you?"

Leave it to Miroku to be able to notice these things. Amongst his cunning tricks and perverted ways, she sometimes forgot just how much he could perceive.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about it pretty much since the whole So'unga ordeal."

"Really?" Sango was astonished to say the least. "But, that was months ago. You've really been thinking about it that long."

"Sesshomaru has changed. I may be the only one who's noticed, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I think he can be a valuable ally."

"I've noticed." Shippo spoke up from across the campsite. "He hides it really well, but the changes are there." He held his tail in a near death grip, afraid that the others would discount his view since he was a child.

"How so?" Miroku spoke up again. Kagome was glad to see that his and Sango's expressions had changed from shock and anger to appearing more thoughtful.

"Well…" Shippo's face contorted to a look of pure concentration, and Kagome would've laughed had the conversation not been so serious. "I'd say the biggest difference is he's a lot more tolerant. I'd heard stories of him cutting people's heads off for speaking out of turn or not showing proper respect. But how many times has he let Kagome-chan live after forgetting his honorific?"

At this, Kagome could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. 'I thought we were talking about Sesshomaru. Why is he bringing me into it?'

"Then the other day, when Kagome-chan and I were playing with Rin-chan, Lord Sesshomaru saw Kagome hugging and kissing Rin. But instead of scolding her or killing her, he basically _thanked_ her."

"It is safe to assume then, that in the past, Sesshomaru-sama would have sooner killed Kagome than be indebted to her, yes?" Miroku leaned back and contemplated all that he had heard. 'To be honest, it merely sounds as if Sesshomaru has become more tolerant of Kagome, not necessarily everyone in general. I should like to see where this leads…' "I think, Kagome, that this is a risk worth taking. I am just as ready to end our fight with Naraku. If you think this will help, then I will support your decision whole-heartedly."

Kagome couldn't hold back the sigh of relief. She had been most worried about his opinion on the matter. If he had not agreed, she knew she would have no chance of convincing everyone else. With Miroku on her side, however, it was only a matter of time before Sango succumbed as well.

She turned now to face the taijiya, anxious to see if she had changed her mind as well.

"Sango?"

"I… Are you sure about this, Kagome? Like, really sure? What if…"

"Sango, we've been over this. Yes, there will be lots of uncertainties, and things won't always go as planned. But, just think about it! Having a powerful demon fighting _with us_ , and a taiyoukai no less! With Sesshomaru standing by our sides, there is no doubt in my mind that we will defeat Naraku."

"Miroku?" Sango turned her wide, pleading eyes to his face. "Are you sure about this?"

"No I'm not, but that's okay. I've lived with the unknown for most of my life. I've lived my entire life not knowing when this cursed tunnel will swallow me whole. But if we accept this deal, and we work with Lord Sesshomaru, there is a chance for me to finally let go of that fear. And," He reached over, grabbing her hands with his own, "there is a chance for you to finally avenge your family and your village. A chance for you to finally give Kohaku the peace he deserves. Don't you think that's worth the risk? Don't you deserve to be happy?"

He froze as Sango reached forward to touch his face, and found that she was wiping away tears he had unknowingly shed.

"Oh, Miroku." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him forward into her embrace. She leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I'd take that risk for you to be free. You deserve to be happy just as much as I do."

Releasing the monk and shifting back to her former seat, she offered Kagome a sheepish grin. "Well, when he puts it that way, how can I say no? I'll stand with you on this as well."

"Thank you guys. I can't tell you how much this means to me. And I will do my best to make sure nothing goes too terribly wrong."

"Kagome, I don't mean to put a damper on things, put how are you going to handle… him?"

"I'm just going to say it outright. No sense in beating around the bush, you know?"

"But, Kagome. What if he hurts you again?" At Sango's statement, all eyes were on Kagome's arms. When she followed their gazes, she remembered that she had forgotten to dress the wounds. She hadn't even cleaned them, as there were still two distinct trails where the blood had run down her arms.

"If he goes too far, I will protect myself." She quickly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel the tears welling up and refused to let her weakness show. "I can't keep letting him do this anyways, I can't keep taking the easy way out."

"Should you need us, Kagome. We will be there to help you." There was a clear conviction in Miroku's voice. And it was a surprise in itself that Miroku had been the one to say this, as he usually made a point of staying out of conflicts. But when she looked around the campsite, she found that everyone was in agreement with what he said. Even Kirara meowed to show her acquiescence.

Her eyes shown with unshed tears, reflecting the glow of the fire. "Thanks guys. You're the best."

As everyone settled down for the night and eventually fell asleep, Kagome remained awake. It was impossible to relax when thinking about the inevitable conflict she would face when Inuyasha returned. 'Kamis above, give me the strength I need to face him.'


	27. Anticipation

Alright, since this is a pretty short chapter and I've kept you guys waiting, I'm going to go ahead and upload another chapter in addition to this one. Thanks guys! I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting. You all are the best! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 27 - Anticipation

"Really! We get to travel with Kagome-chan?"

"Hn."

"Yay! This is going to be so much fun! We can play hide and seek, and tag, and we can pick flowers, and make flower crowns, and…" Sesshomaru tuned her out, figuring the list would continue for a while. He just hoped this little arrangement would last more than a few days. As much as he hated the idea of traveling with his half-brother, he loathed the idea of his ward being disappointed or worse – sad. He didn't like it when she cried, which she was bound to do if she became sad.

His mind drifted to the miko, of when she had helped Rin the last time she had been upset. He supposed if his ward became upset again, the miko could be counted on to calm her once more.

He wondered if things had gone well when she talked to her group. He suspected that she would've been able to convince the taijiya and houshi, his brother however would be a challenge. The boy was nearly as stubborn as the miko was. He hoped the fool hadn't done something too stupid, but wouldn't be surprised if he had.

Sighing inaudibly, Sesshomaru focused on the trek ahead, knowing that this would likely be his last few hours of peace. With both his half-brother and the miko around, he figured silence would be a luxury. 'Not that this qualifies as silence…' He thought ruefully as Rin continued gushing about the miko and her group.


	28. Broken

This is where things get interesting. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 28 – Broken

"Inuyasha. Please let go."

His claws dug further into her neck, pushing more blood out to run down his claws. She had known he would be angry about her deal with Sesshomaru, but she'd never thought it would bring out his beast. But it was different this time, he was in control of it and he was taking advantage of that fact.

She knew what he was trying to do, he was using his beast to try and force her to change her mind about her deal, through fear. He was trying to make her submit. But he was a fool if he thought that would work, he had pushed her too far this time, as he was about to find out.

The rest of the inutachi stood a few feet away. The moment Inuyasha had attacked her, they had jumped up ready to protect her. But she knew they couldn't help this time. It was about time she showed him she wasn't going to be pushed around anymore. She took a deep breath, well as deep of a breath as she could with his hands still wrapped around her neck. Conviction filled her mind, it was now or never.

"Let go. Now."

His only reply was to snarl, and further tighten his hands around her neck. If he went any further, she was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. She was desperately clawing at his hands, trying to pry them from her neck. She realized, unfortunately, she needed to attack him if she wanted to be free of his grip.

"Fine, Inuyasha. If that's how you want this to go. Just don't come crying to me when this doesn't go how you planned." Dropping her hands from his forearms, she instead placed them over his sternum.

Looking up into his eyes, she could she his confusion. Both at her refusal to submit, and her current actions. She couldn't help the tears that welled up at the thought of what she was about to do. "Forgive me."

Closing her eyes in concentration, she forced a large amount of her reiki into her hands and pushed it outwards. This caused a small explosion to occur, and shot the hanyou across the campsite into a tree. He slumped to the ground, unconscious and pretty injured.

A sob tore its way through her throat, and she unceremoniously slid to the ground. Even as her group surrounded her, Miroku beginning to tend to her wounds, she couldn't remove her gaze from him.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that Sango and Shippo were asking if she was okay, but no matter how badly she wanted to respond she found she couldn't. She felt broken, having to attack her best friend hurt her in a way that nothing ever had before.

Realizing that Kagome needed time to cope with what had happened, her group finished tending to her wounds before settling down to wait for her to return from her thoughts. And in her thoughts she remained for quite some time.

For hours she continued to think about what had happened, and stewed in her nearly overwhelming guilt and feeling of brokenness. But as she thought about it, she realized what had truly been broken. It was her trust. She had foolishly held on to her love for the hanyou for so long, and she had put up with so much heartache. Something had to break eventually, and it finally had. A girl could only take so much for so long.

It was then that her revelation found her. Her guilt was misplaced. She had asked him to let her go, then she had warned him, and still he had refused. He had brought this on himself. It wasn't something inside of her that was broken. Their friendship was. And for the time being, she wasn't inclined to fix it.


	29. Welcome

Hope you guys like it. By the way, I'm loving the feedback! It means so much to me. I did get a question about the chapter lengths, and I want to say that they average around 500-700 words each. I will have a few longer ones as well as a few short ones. But to answer the question, yeah the chapters are all going to be right around that length. It's just how I've decided to write this particular story. Anywho, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 29 - Welcome

Silence greeted Sesshomaru when he finally came upon the inutachi. He wondered at first if they had already settled for the night, but when entering their clearing, he instead found them just sitting there. Inuyasha sat perched in a tree, and was gazing off into the distance. The taijiya was half-heartedly cooking dinner, while the houshi used a crisply burnt stick to poke the tinder of the fire. The kitsune fiddled a bit with his toys next to the fire neko who simply watched everyone else in the clearing with a calculating gaze. He was most surprised by the position the miko was in. He had expected her to greet him with her usual, infuriating cheerfulness. Instead, she sat leaning up against a tree with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring at the fired with an indeterminable look in her eyes.

It was unnerving to see the normally lively group so subdued. Had his impending arrival actually caused this? Odd. He figured there would have been more yelling involved.

A tug on his pants brought his attention away from the quiet group. "Sesshomaru-sama? Why aren't they talking? It's scary." Rin spoke with a nervousness in her aura.

"Hn." He looked to the miko again, and noticed this time that there were bandages peeking out from the collar of her shirt. Taking a quick sniff of the air, he took note that not only was the smell of her blood present, so was the smell of her purification powers. He looked over at Inuyasha again as his brain began to make the connections. The hanyou also had bandages, but his were placed over his chest, and his open haori showed signs of being singed – likely by the miko's reiki. Ah, the hanyou had done something foolish. So predictable.

Deciding he'd had enough of being ignored, Sesshomaru flared his youkai to get the miko's attention. The result was almost laughable. Most members of the inutachi had been so zoned out that when he flared his aura, it had startled them – greatly. The hanyou fell out of the tree, the monk threw his stick, the taijiya for some reason slapped the monk, and the kitsune disappeared with a 'pop'. Only the miko and the neko remained relatively unchanged. The neko merely glanced in his direction, seemingly already aware of his presence. The miko however, did not move at all. She only tensed and gripped her legs more tightly, the strain becoming evident when her knuckles whitened.

He wondered why she would react to his presence that way when just yesterday she had seemed so relaxed, cocky even. However, he didn't have to wait long to find out. Inuyasha sprung up from the ground and began stalking his way towards him. He felt Rin retreat behind him to stand with Ah-Un and Jaken, fear taking place of the earlier nervousness.

He placed his hand on Tōkijin, preparing to protect Rin and defend himself should he need to. But before the hanyou could reach him, a pink barrier appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

Inuyasha snarled fiercely before turning to yell at Kagome. "Put the barrier down, bitch."

Kagome didn't even bother looking away from the fire to respond. "Why, so you can get beaten to a pulp again? That is what happened the last time you two fought, ne?"

Now Inuyasha took a threatening step towards her, and Sesshomaru wondered what she would do. She still hadn't moved an inch, despite all that was happening around her.

"One more step, Inuyasha, and we will have a repeat of what happened this morning."

"Ha, that only worked because I wasn't expecting it. I'm stronger than you, wench, and you know it."

"Physically, yes, you are stronger than me. But I don't need to move a muscle to kick your ass."

In the blink of an eye, Inuyasha had lunged for her, aiming once again for her neck. But this time, he ran face first into another one of her barriers. Sesshomaru watched with something close to awe as the energy of her barrier changed form and wrapped itself around Inuyasha like a rope. In a few seconds, he was wrapped secure enough to be incapacitated. This left the hanyou spitting and cursing, struggling to free himself from the reiki bonds. As the cursing became more intense, another tendril of energy wrapped itself around his mouth.

He felt a rise in the hanyou's youkai, and watched with concealed interest as his beast emerged. He had seen his beast emerge in other battles, but never had he seen it emerge in a fight with the miko. Normally the fool was fiercely protective of her. Clearly something had changed.

The power boost granted by his beast allowed him to break free of the bindings, and he rush forward again to attack. At this, the miko finally stood. Oddly enough, she ran forward to meet the hanyou in his rush, but right before they met she stooped low and shot a leg out, tripping him. He fell forward into the dirt, and before he could rise again, the miko delivered a reiki-infused blow to the back of his head instantly knocking him out.

Huffing, Kagome stood once more and made her way over to Sesshomaru. She offered a quick bow and spoke with painfully fake cheerfulness, "Welcome to the group Sesshomaru-sama." Then she turned around and walked out of the clearing. He assumed she needed alone time. After watching what had just occurred, and knowing it was at least the second confrontation of the day, he didn't blame her.


	30. Changes

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter!

But before I start, there is something I'd like to address. One of the reviews mentioned hostilities toward Inuyasha. It's actually not my intention to turn Inuyasha into the "bad guy". The same can't be said for Kikyo. I am not a big Kikyo fan. (I never liked the way she acted towards Kagome in the anime.) So yes, Inuyasha's transgressions will probably be attributed to something Kikyo has done.

If you guys have any questions, feel free to let me know, and I'll answer them to the best of my abilities. And, as always, thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 30 - Change

Sesshomaru figured it was pointless to continue standing around, so he turned and gave his group a nod. They easily recognized the signal and took to settling into the clearing. He decided to settle as well, and propped himself against a tree to wait for the miko's return. The movement of his group seemed to spur the remaining inutachi into action. The monk and taijiya bustled over to Inuyasha and grabbed him, moving him to the bottom of the tree he had been sitting in earlier. The monk set about dressing the hanyou's new wound while the taijiya returned to the dinner she had previously been cooking.

The kitsune finally returned from wherever it was he had been hiding and walked up to Rin. They began playing, picking up right where they left off just a week ago. The neko stood and stretched before trotting over to sit with the taijiya. As they all settled, the atmosphere made an obvious change, leading him to believe the tenseness that he had felt earlier had been caused by both the hanyou and the miko. Or at least the clashing of their auras.

Something struck him as odd though. Ever since the hanyou had met the miko, he had been fiercely protective of her, especially when other males were around. Even when So'unga had emerged, the hanyou had fought ferociously claiming he "had someone to protect'. Yet now, he had watched - not ten feet away - while he attacked the same woman he was apparently supposed to protect. What had happened to cause such a drastic change? And in such a short amount of time.

His thoughts were interrupted by a distant flickering of reiki. 'She has not already found trouble, has she?' As he made to leave and go after her, the monk spoke.

"She's okay, Sesshomaru-sama. Kagome is merely meditating, or at least attempting to. She should return in a few hours' time."

"She does this often?"

"Hai. As of late, she will go off and meditate any time she is either frustrated or confused. During these times, she does not seem to want to be interrupted." It was not hard to miss what the monk was implying. If he did not wish to anger the miko, it was best that he remain in the clearing until she returned. Reluctantly, he realized his curiosity was not yet sated.

"When did this start?"

"Hm. I'm not sure. Sango? What do you think?"

"Probably after dealing with Kaguya."

"Really? That far back?"

"Hai. She was upset that Inuyasha did not return her affections even after she made them clear. The meditation didn't start then, but her need for alone time did for sure."

"Do you think that's when…" Both of them glanced at Inuyasha, who remained unconscious, before sharing a knowing look.

"Hai, that has to be when it started."

His curiosity had not been sated in any way shape or form. If anything, it had only become stronger. Allowing his aura to flicker, he brought their attention back to himself. Raising an eyebrow, he waited for them to explain what they had been discussing.

The taijiya blushed while the monk nervously cleared his throat.

"Forgive us for digressing, Sesshomaru-sama. Allow me to explain. For a time now, we have suspected that Kagome did not hold the same affections for Inuyasha as she did in the past. Our suspicions were confirmed a few weeks ago when she outright stated that she didn't care if Inuyasha went off to see Kikyo anymore. So, through our discussion today, we suspect her feelings began to change not long after facing an enemy named Kaguya."

"Hn."

"Miroku?" Sango spoke up nervously, her eyes slanting towards the hanyou. "Do you think he knows?"

Laughter sprung up at the other end of the camp. Turning, he found the kitsune clutching his gut while the giggling rolled forth. Gaining some semblance of control, he wiped his eyes and answered Sango's question. "Ha! That baka wouldn't know even if Kagome said it to his face!"

He found himself silently agreeing with the kit. Inuyasha was often too thickheaded to see the truths presented to him. Although he wondered if the hanyou ever knew of her affections in the first place, even if the miko had "made them clear".

Leaning back against his tree again, he closed his eyes in contemplation. He had much to think on before the miko returned to camp.


	31. Hurt

I'm so excited guys! The story is starting to pick up, and I think I'm close to writing the ending. (Don't worry it's not anytime soon. I write ahead so I have plenty of time to figure out just where this story is going.). If I had to guess, I'd say this story is going to be at least 70 chapters if not more. So we're probably close to the halfway point. Woo!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 31 - Hurt

In. Hold. Out. Repeat. How long had she been at this? Hard to tell. She was considering staying here for the rest of the night, honestly. There was no desire within her to return to camp, at least not until she had calmed her frayed nerves. And that task was taking much longer than she liked.

It had been a while since she'd felt that kind of anger. Strong, burning, with an inexplicable need to punch something. She _hated_ feeling like that. When was the last time she felt like this? 'Oh yeah, after leaving Kaguya's castle.' It's not like she didn't have a good reason to be angry. She had opened her heart to him, confessed her love. But when they returned from the mirror, he just looked at her. Didn't say a word, ever. Still hadn't. Frankly, she would have preferred all out rejection to the silence. The silence hurt more than rejection ever could.

This time, it hurt more. It was logical, she supposed. Betrayal does trump broken hearts on the overall scale of emotional pain. But, Kami, it felt like her soul was being ripped apart, sewn back together, then ripped apart once more. She knew she tended to put too much trust in people, and was loyal to a fault. But to have it thrown back in her face so abruptly… it just _hurt_.

All she wanted to do was return home and curl up in her bed and never leave it again. She could think of a million reasons to quit her quest and go home where it was safe. 'Damn him! He does this to me, and then suddenly I want to give up? Why now? Why when we suddenly are so close to the end?'

Opening her eyes, she realized two things. One, it was nearly night fall. And two, she had apparently released some of her reiki in her anger. The grass around her was burnt and shriveled in a wide arc surrounding her, maybe five feet wide. A part of her panicked knowing that she had accidentally unleashed her reiki, and with her panic came a wave of her aura, singeing the grass once more. Now there was a foot-wide circle of ash within the circle of blackened grass.

'Okay, calm yourself. Freaking out is just making it worse. Deep breath. In. Out. Good, good. Now just push the feelings away for now. You can address them later when you are in a calmer state.'

Standing on shaky legs, she turned in the direction of her camp once more. She figured she should return before someone came looking for her.


	32. Rest

I'm sorry for being so late. I honestly thought I posted last week. The days kind of blur together when it's summer vacation... and you don't have a job... *sigh* Anywho, enjoy the next chapter. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

Chapter 32 – Rest

She was nearly back in camp when she stopped just by a stream. Looking at her reflection, she almost lost control of her emotions again. There were painfully obvious tear tracks running down her face, but that wasn't what bothered her. It was the lost and empty look in her eyes. It just looked so wrong. 'This isn't me… In fact, I look more like _her_.'

Submerging her hand into the clear water, she made quick work of trying to make herself look more presentable. She splashed the water onto her face over and over until she felt the evidence of her unstable emotions were gone. Figuring there was nothing she could do about her eyes and her general expression, she hoped that she could pass it off as fatigue.

By the time she made it to the clearing, it was dark. Sango had finished dinner hours ago, and anyone who had wanted to eat clearly already had. There was a small portion remaining in a bowl for her, probably long cold, but she truthfully wasn't hungry.

Rin and Shippo had already turned in for the night. Rin was huddled next to Ah-Un and Jaken, and Shippo had buried his way into her sleeping bag. Miroku and Sango were preparing for sleep, but stopped to offer her somewhat pitying expressions. 'I wish they'd stop doing that every time I return from meditating. It's not the end of the world if I want alone time, is it?' Inuyasha was still slumped against his tree. He had apparently not managed to regain consciousness yet. This brought her to Sesshomaru.

When she turned to view him, she found his eyes already watching her. She held back a stereotypical sarcastic comment, but settled for a raised eyebrow. His response was a blink and a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. 'Was that? No…'

Yawning, she quickly prepared for bed herself, then carefully slid her way into her sleeping bag with Shippo. Brushing his hair out of his face, she leaned in to whisper "goodnight" to him. He in turn snuggled against her, gently nuzzling her chest. She wrapped her arms around his form, gave him a quick kiss, then mumbled another "goodnight" for anyone still awake and able to hear it.

She was glad that sleep found her quickly. It had been a long day, and if anyone deserved a rest, it was most certainly her.


	33. Dreams

Ugh, so ready for classes to start. Less than a month to go though! I'm hoping the schedule of classes will help me get back on track with my posting schedule. If not... well just know I won't give up on this story. I know my updates are unpredictable, but I'm trying to be as consistent as possible. Oh well, enough talk. On to the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 33 – Dreams

The forest was silent. Too silent. 'Where am I? How did I get here? The last thing I remember was falling… asleep… No, not this dream again!' Mild annoyance filled her at that thought. She had been under the impression she'd gotten over this.

Her feet began to carry her forward, and as always, she was sure she'd end up in the clearing of the Goshinboku again. As she neared the clearing, she could hear the faint grunts and moans and the overall feeling of passion and pleasure. Now she'd get to watch that stupid scene she'd accidentally walked in on a few months ago, _again_.

She stopped at the tree line, hands gripping the tree she was hiding behind. Despite having watched this over and over again, her body repeatedly took the same path she had the day it occurred, with all of the same movements and actions. She'd even cry in the dream, each and every time. Sure at first she had been upset, she'd known Inuyasha would go and visit Kikyo a lot, but she hadn't really thought deeply about just what they'd do together.

At the time it had hurt as well. Somehow she'd deluded herself into thinking she had a chance with Inuyasha. But it was pretty clear seeing them like that, and hearing just what they had said, all of her hopes had vanished.

Focusing in on her dream once more, she was able to have the distinct pleasure of hearing their conversation for the umpteenth time.

"Inuyasha?" Kikyo spoke during their moment of respite.

"Yeah?"

"My reincarnation. She cares for you greatly."

"Well yeah, we are friends."

"No, she wants more Inuyasha. She wants you. And I need to know if you feel something for her too. I cannot possibly compete with her. She is living, breathing, and made of flesh, and I'm just…"

"Kikyo. I don't love her; not like I love you. It will always be you. She's only here to collect shards and defeat Naraku, after that she'll return home. You have nothing to compete with."

'Here it comes.' She thought ruefully. As she had in the past, her breath hitched, tears filled her eyes, and a sharp, stabbing pain made itself known in her chest. Even though she had long moved on, she could not escape the feelings of the dreams despite how much time had passed.

'At least it's over now. I should start waking up anytime now…' Mentally trailing off, she watched as the scenery changed. Now she stood in an unfamiliar clearing in a section of forest she did not recognized. But something was wrong. It was so dark, and the trees seemed to loom over her. 'Okay, I want to wake up now. Please.'

Snarling came from behind her, and as she turned around she came face to face with Inuyasha. But, as had been the case the previous morning, his beast was out. It was clear that he was in control of it as well, as his pupils remained in their usual amber state.

"Bitch, I will kill you for what you've done."

"Oh? And just what have I done that warrants death?" 'At least I seem to be in control in this sequence. And I'm not reliving what happened earlier, so that's nice…'

"You betrayed me!"

"How the hell did _I_ betray _you_?"

"I told you I would protect you! But you brought Sesshomaru here, and you won't let me protect you anymore!"

"I asked Sesshomaru here because we needed his help to defeat Naraku! And maybe I don't need or want your protection anymore! Besides," With her previous dream still fresh in her mind, the next words slipped out before she could think them through, "I'm only here to collect shards and defeat Naraku. Then I'll go home and the only person you'll be obligated to protect is _Kikyo_." She spat with venom. 'Alrighty then, clearly I'm not as over that as I thought I was.'

"Leave her out of this!"

"No! Don't you see, Inuyasha? You can't protect both of us! That much was clear today." 'What am I talking about? Kikyo had nothing to do what happened earlier. What is going on?'

"Kikyo was right."

"Right about what?"

"You're jealous of her."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're jealous that I chose her over you!"

She couldn't contain her snort of derision, nor the poisonous words that followed. "Please! As if I'd be jealous of your clay whore. I could care less about that fact that you're basically fucking a corpse."

Before she could react, Inuyasha was leaping at her throat, his beast taking complete control after she had insulted Kikyo. But something was wrong, she couldn't call her powers forth to protect herself. The last thing she felt was his claws tearing open her throat, hot blood spewing forth from the wound, and finally a painful darkness.

Kagome jolted awake with a gasp, sitting up quickly with shock. Her hand simultaneously flew up to grasp her neck. When she felt the bandages on her neck, panic rose in her. 'Did – Did that actually happen? No, it was just a dream, I'm sure.' She was absolutely drenched in sweat and her breath was coming out quick and ragged. Standing on shaking legs, she leaned against the nearest tree for support, and leaned her forehead on its rough bark as she tried to catch her breath.

Hearing a high, keening whine, her eyes shifted rapidly around the campsite before she determined that she was the source. Cutting the whine off and swallowing hard, she decided she could use a quick walk. It's not like anyone would miss her. It wasn't even dawn yet; everyone was probably still asleep.

She let her feet carry her wherever they liked, which unfortunately turned out to be the stream she had stopped at before returning to camp… however many hours ago. She stooped next to it, and cupped her hands in the water before bringing it up to her mouth to drink. Her throat was still dry from the dream. 'More like a nightmare. Dying in a dream isn't exactly pleasant…'

When she had gotten enough to soothe her parched throat, she sat back on the heels of her feet and just looked at her reflection. Again, she found she didn't much like what she was seeing. Was it just her, or were her irises a few shades darker? If she had to sum up just what she was looking at, she would have to say that it was a look somewhere between being lost or extreme tiredness.

"Ugh." She groaned, before flopping on her ass and burying her face in her hands. She wanted nothing more than to scream all of her frustrations out, but she'd attract far too much attention with that course of action than she liked. She settled for muttering as many curse words as she could possibly think of.

"God damn fucking shit. Bitch, asshole, bastard, fucking motherfucker. Fuck, shiiiiiiit." She finished with a drawn out hiss. 'Apparently I don't know as many curse words as I thought.'

"I have wondered where Inuyasha managed to pick up such colorful words. Apparently he learned them from you." A smooth voice spoke up from behind her.

She tensed for a moment before turning to find Sesshomaru casually leaning up against a tree and looking at her with… amusement?

"Ah, hey Sesshomaru… sama… How long have you been standing there?"

A quirked eyebrow was his only response. She took that to mean "long enough".

"Hehe, sorry…" Had she been in some sort of anime, she was sure she'd have a giant sweat drop on her forehead.

"Hn."

Gaining some measure of composure, she turned back to view the stream before her. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, this Sesshomaru was already awake?"

"Really? What for?"

"I wasn't asleep in the first place."

"Oh. I understand. You were keeping watch I presume?"

"Hn."

"Although I realize it wasn't for my benefit, nor that of my friends, I appreciate it. It's nice knowing someone's looking out for us."

"Does someone not keep watch in your group?"

Snorting lightly, her following reply was laid heavily with sarcasm. "Inuyasha says he guards us while we are sleeping. But I find that hard to believe when I get woken up by his snoring when he's "on watch". So no, we do not have someone who stays up to keep watch."

"Stays up?"

She looked back at him with a mischievous smirk, inwardly glad that he had picked up on what she was hinting. "I put up a weak barrier every night before I go to sleep. It's not enough to keep anyone out, but it's just strong enough to wake me if anything gets through that could cause us harm." Looking off into the distance, she allowed herself to speak her next thoughts out loud. "It's not much, and it sure as hell isn't a perfect system, but it's the best I can offer."

"Hn."

She stood once more, stretching languidly. The first rays of dawn were peeking through the trees, and she thought that she'd like to surprise everyone with an early breakfast.

Turning to the taiyoukai, she offered him a quick but sincere smile. "Hey, I think I'm going to go hunting really quick for breakfast. Would you like to join me?"

"Wouldn't that accumulate too much food?"

"Probably. But I'll just dry the extra food we don't eat. Maybe make some small snacks we can eat while on the road."

"Very well."

"Let's see who can get the biggest kill!"

"It is foolish to make such a bet with a demon, Miko."

"I know. But it's fun." With that she took off towards camp to grab her bow and arrows. But not before jokingly calling back to him, "Last one back to camp is a rotten egg."

She giggled after her taunt. She didn't think she had ever seen Sesshomaru look so confused, and Kami was it hilarious.


	34. Hunting

Kinda forgot what day it was hehe. Here's the next chapter! Introducing another character. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 34 - Hunting

She had thought she'd be able to make it back before Sesshomaru since she'd startled him. But right before she was able to emerge from the trees, there was a slight breeze. And of course, she found the taiyoukai standing smugly in front of her.

"I believe this would make you the proverbial "rotten egg" miko."

"Yeah, yeah. But I might still be able to get a bigger kill than you."

"Hn." Kagome could practically taste the doubt he offered with his grunt. 'Oh, I'm going to enjoy proving him wrong.'

She grabbed her bow and arrows from where she had left them and turned back toward the forest. With practiced ease, she shouldered her quiver.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Shoo!" She fluttered her hands in the direction of the forest before disappearing into its depths. This left a startled and slightly miffed demon staring after her. Yet, he did as she had told him and left in search of a large kill to bring back to the camp.

Kagome could feel his aura disappearing in the opposite direction she was heading and gave herself a mental pat on the back. She hoped that giving him challenges like this would keep him interested enough while he traveled with their group. It wouldn't surprise her if he got bored easily, and that was why he traveled the way he did. 'I mean, come on. He's the freaking Lord of the West, he probably has some fancy-pantsy castle somewhere. There's no way he has to travel the way he does… Unless he's patrolling his lands… Hmm, never thought about that. Oh poo, what if he's mad at me for making him do this…' Deciding this was something to focus on at a later time, she focused back on the task at hand.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she made herself focus her aura. She then allowed small tendrils of her power to snake further out into the forest, searching for any signs of life she could come across. It wasn't hard to locate a few pheasants and hares, but she ignored those hoping for a boar or buck. Before long, she felt a promising aura, and opened her eyes. She reeled her aura back in and concealed it before stalking quietly in the direction of her prey. Crouching low to the ground, she held her bow horizontally in front of her and proceeded with a surprising amount of grace.

'There.' She thought when her prey was finally close enough to view. She had truly lucked out on this one. Before her was a large buck, quite a specimen of the species*. It had begun to lose its winter coat, and its' spots had become more visible. There were a few does milling around as well, but she had no interest in them. With slow movements, she reached back into her quiver to grab an arrow. Nocking it, she pulled the string taut before setting the point to face the buck. 'Alright, now…'

*Snap*.

The buck jerked its head up towards the sound, his ears swiveling. Then its muscles tensed and it took off into the forest. The does took off in quick succession after him. She would have taken off after them, perhaps try to pick off a lagging doe, but her instincts were screaming at her to stay still. The forest was deathly quiet, far too quiet for her liking. She was torn between letting her aura out to try and figure out what was going on, or just staying where she was and continuing to conceal herself. Settling on the latter, she waited with baited breath for something, anything, to make itself known. She didn't have to wait long.

The bushes to the right of her vision, just a few yards in front of her, rustled gently. Then a figure she easily recognized stepped forward. He walked forward with smooth movements, his kusarigama clutched in his hands. 'Kohaku.'

Conflicting feelings and thoughts ran through her mind for a moment before she cleared it. Despite the fact that Kohaku was Sango's brother, the hard truth was that he still served Naraku, even it was against his will. She was in danger, and doing something stupid would get her killed.

She was tempted to follow him with her arrow, but knew that it was best she remained still. Any movement, no matter how small, had the potential to tip him off to her presence. So far, he had not noticed her. 'Thank Kami I'm wearing dark clothes, who knows what I'd do if I was wearing my miko clothing…'

After what seemed like hours, but in reality was just a few minutes, Kohaku left her view. But she knew she wasn't quite in the clear yet. Deciding it was in her best interest to return to camp, she straightened up out of her crouch.

Hearing the slight jingling of chains, she spun around just in time to see a sickle bury itself into a tree next to her head. Wasting no time, Kagome grabbed the chain and yanked as hard as she could. Kohaku relinquished the chain easily, not expecting such a move from her. Pulling her bow taut once more, she trained the arrow so it was pointing at his chest.

"Make one more move, and you'll have a shiny, new hole in your chest."

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

*I am referring to a shika deer, common in Japan. Unlike white-tailed deer, shika deer do not lose their "spots" upon maturation.


	35. Apprehension

Classes start soon, so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep track of the days a little better. Thanks for being patient with me guys, you're all the absolute best. 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

Chapter 35 – Apprehension

It was unnerving to look into eyes that look so… dead. Kohaku had halted after her declaration and was just standing there, staring. 'Why is he just standing there? Surely it couldn't be this easy?'

It wasn't.

Something flashed in his eyes, and before she knew it, her bow had been knocked from her hands and the demon slayer had his katana pressed against her throat. 'Seriously? Hasn't my throat suffered enough?'

Knowing that everyone took her for granted, always assuming she was weak and untrained, she acted again. She threw her leg out and kicked Kohaku in the gut. This gave her enough time to pull another arrow from her quiver. In a quick move, she tackled him and forced him to the ground before placing the arrow on his neck, effectively reversing their prior roles.

"What are you here for? Surely Naraku wouldn't send _you_ to retrieve my jewel shards."

Again he just stared at her with his dead eyes. Up close she could see a strange glaze in his eyes and just how unfocused they seemed. And he looked so gaunt and sickly, clearly Naraku didn't bother to care for his puppet. Even though he had died, the jewel shard had revived him to an extent, meaning he did require some form of nourishment. Nourishment that he was clearly not receiving. On top of that, he looked completely filthy. 'Damn you, Naraku.'

"What do you have to gain from attacking me?" She ventured again. She knew it was fruitless, but she just wanted some answers. Feeling her frustration growing, she pressed the arrow further into his neck.

"Did Naraku grow tired of his little puppet? Did he send you here to kill you?" Taunting him might not be the best course of action, but she wanted to see if she could get a reaction from him at all. His response startled her from her thoughts.

"You cannot kill me."

"Oh, and why not?"

"Sango." 'He's acknowledging her? I thought he couldn't remember her in this state.' She decided that bluffing would be her best bet if she wanted him to keep talking.

"What makes you think she doesn't want you to die as well?"

He seemed to pause at this, and his eyes became just a little more focused.

"She's my sister, she would not want me dead."

"Ah, but you are already dead. And besides, she'd rather you be dead than be controlled by Naraku. I would be doing her a favor."

"No… No! She would not want me to die." 'Is it just me, or does he sound panicked?'

"Don't worry, Kohaku. You wouldn't be alone in death for long. Once she finds out that you've died, she won't have much to live for. Sango will probably die in battle with Naraku, then she'll join you in the afterlife." She felt ill after what she said, mostly because she knew that this was the first truthful thing she had said so far.

"I – I don't want her to die." Kagome was astonished to see the haze disappear from Kohaku's eyes, only to be replaced with tears. It was then that she realized she had subconsciously been purifying the shard in his neck as they spoke.

She brought the hand that wasn't holding the arrow up to stroke his hair. "Hush, Kohaku, it's alright. I know. Everything is okay."

His eyes met hers, his astonishment evident. "You – You f-freed me. How? How did you do that?"

"To be honest, I have no idea." A nervous chuckle erupted from her throat at her admission.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Bring you to my camp, I think."

"No! What if Naraku… What if he controls me again? I'll hurt someone!"

"We'll figure it out Kohaku, together."

Despite Kohaku's apparent return of faculties, Kagome wasn't taking any risks, her arrow remained pinned to his throat. Focusing, she felt for Sesshomaru's aura, and unsurprisingly found it back in the campsite. She tried to convey her need for help by pulling at his aura slightly, and was relieved to feel it fast approaching not long after.

Focusing back on Kohaku, she couldn't help but feel some apprehension. It was almost too convenient, how easily she had 'freed' him. This seemed an awful lot like what had happed when they had "defeated" Naraku. She desperately hoped this wasn't another trap.


	36. Reacquainted

(Don't hate me, but this chapter is a short one.) As always, thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews! Sometimes I've had just downright awful days and all it takes is a review from you all to cheer me up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 36 – Reacquainted

'Where is she?' It had been a good hour since he had returned to the camp with his kill, and the miko had still not returned. What was worse, he couldn't sense her aura. He figured she had cloaked it during her hunt, but to have been gone so long without so much a flicker was… unnerving.

He had been debating whether or not to go after her when he felt it. She had reached out to him and was attempting to pull him closer. Under normal circumstances he would've been annoyed at her trying to control him. But now, he only worried at what trouble the miko had gotten herself into this time. His only consolation was her aura, it did not feel panicked or afraid, only tense.

When he arrived at her location, he found that she had reason to be. She was on the ground straddling and pressing an arrow against the throat of a very familiar boy.

"Kohaku."

Two sets of eyes flickered to view him, and for the time being, he was only interested in one of them. Chestnut orbs looked up at him with fear.

"Hai Sesshomaru-sama?"

He was about to question the young taijiya when the miko interrupted, much to his annoyance.

"Wait just a minute! You two know each other? Since when?"

"Miko." He made his warning clear in his tone. His interrogation would go much quicker if she remained silent.

"Oh, um, sorry. Please continue."

"You have regained control?"

"No, not exactly. Kagome pulled me out somehow." Sesshomaru swiveled his gaze to the miko, and when she met his gaze, he stared expectantly.

Understanding he wanted her to explain, she cleared her throat and answered his unspoken question. "I steadily purified the shard while speaking with him. The combination of both "pulled him out" as he put it."

"Hn." For the time being, he did not consider Kohaku a threat. "You may release him, miko. I will watch him."

When she did not comply immediately, he met her gaze once more. He hoped she would not fight him on his judgement. She instead remained uncharacteristically silent, simply looking at him as if searching for something in his eyes. He did not know what she was looking for, but she must have found it. She gave him a nod before removing the arrow and standing up.

Then she held her hand above the young taijiya, offering her assistance. When Kohaku placed his hand in hers, Sesshomaru was surprised to see her quickly pull him up straight into an embrace.

"It's good to see you again, Kohaku." She whispered into his ear. Sesshomaru turned, strangely not wanting to watch their exchange. 'Are they involved? She acts so familiar with him.' He mentally shook himself, cutting off that particular train of thought. 'Why should I care about the miko's choice in potential suitors?'

"Come." He ordered before walking back towards the campsite. The sun had begun to peek over the horizon, and the last thing he needed was the inutachi panicking about the miko's absence.


	37. Comfort

Sorry for the wait. I went on vacation over the Labor Day weekend and well, hehe, forgot to post. Anywhoo, here's the next chapter. It's also pretty short (forgive me). :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 37 – Comfort

Throughout the entire walk back to camp, Kagome kept her arm linked with Kohaku's and chattered excitedly. She could feel his nervousness, so much so that it was almost tangible, and wanted to distract him. She could only imagine what was running through his mind at this moment. Her guess was an enormous amount of guilt. 'Poor Kohaku. He's so young, and yet he's been through so much.'

She mostly shared little anecdotes of her own life, figuring she could leave other details to Sango. Kami knows the woman would be beyond overjoyed to see her brother again, especially now that he was 'free' again. 'Although, he won't truly be free until we can remove that shard…'

Her grim thoughts were halted when Kohaku came to an abrupt stop.

"I can't do this."

Noticing that Sesshomaru had stopped a few paces ahead of them, she gestured for him to go on ahead. She needed to speak to Kohaku alone.

She maneuvered herself so she was just in front of the boy, and gripped his shoulders in what she hoped was an assuring manor.

"Kohaku, look at me." She waited until he complied before continuing. "You have nothing to be afraid of right now. No one in that clearing holds you accountable for what has happened. The only one who does is you. The fact is, Kohaku, no one is at fault for those deaths besides Naraku. He is to blame, not you."

His eyes had a faraway look to them, and she had a moment of fear thinking he had been taken over again. But was assured that he remained in control when he spoke once more.

"I can still see their faces as they died. As _I_ killed them, Kagome."

She grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to focus on her again.

"Kohaku, I understand this is hard, believe me. I know what it is like to be controlled, to watch as someone outside of you controls your every move and makes you do things. Unspeakable things. But you need to realize this, Kohaku, it is not your fault. You did not ask for this."

Kohaku collapsed into her, clutching her to himself for comfort. And he let it out in torrent of emotions, tears and sobs. She had never seen the boy so upset, and cursed the foul hanyou for breaking such a pure soul. Stroking his hair once more, she comforted him as best as she could.

"It's okay, Kohaku. I'm here. It's okay."

Warm and sorrowful tears welled up and broke free as she held the young taijiya. And not for the first time, she cried for him and all that he had been through.

Unbeknownst to her, the taiyoukai she had thought had returned to camp stood concealed a few yards away, and watched her with barely concealed interest and ever mounting confusion.


	38. Questions

I finally have a longer chapter for you guys! Thanks for all of your reviews, I always enjoy reading them. I know you guys want these chapters to be longer, but I wrote a lot of these months ago. The most recent chapters I've written are a lot longer than the ones I've been posting so far. So I just need you guys to be patient please. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 38 - Questions

When Kagome returned to camp with Kohaku in tow, they were both greeted with a gasp. Turning a little, they found a very emotional Sango fighting to hold back tears.

"Kohaku?"

"Hello sister."

"Kohaku!" Sango quickly went barreling across the campsite before running straight into her brother enveloping him in what may have been the tightest hug in existence, if Kohaku's slightly blue face was anything to go by. "What – When – How…?"

Chuckling lightly, Kohaku merely gestured to Kagome who was watching the exchange with a somewhat wistful expression. Before she could comprehend what was going on, she too received an extremely tight embrace. "Oh, Kagome. I don't know how you brought him back, but thank you!"

"It's nothing Sango. Now stop wasting your time with me, go catch up with your brother."

The older taijiya wasted no time in dragging her brother over to her previous spot in the camp and introducing him to the monk.

"Miko."

Jumping slightly, she turned to find the taiyoukai standing just on the edge of the camp. 'Funny, I thought he went ahead of me…'

"Hai Sesshomaru?"

"I have questions."

"About what?" He gave her a pointed look before his eyes swept the camp. 'Ah, he wants to talk _alone_.'

"Hey guys." She raised her voice slightly so she could gain the attention of anyone who was already awake. Which really just meant Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku. Inuyasha was, of course, nowhere to be seen. Once she had their attention, she continued. "I'm going to clean our breakfast, okay?" She received their acknowledgement before they returned to their conversation.

Refocusing on Sesshomaru, she gestured for him to follow her to the stream. Arriving quickly, she wasted no time in beginning to clean the small buck Sesshomaru had caught. 'Mine was bigger… I would have totally won.'

"Alright Sesshomaru… sama… Ask away." She inwardly was glad she had the buck to focus on, her nerves would have been shot if she had to look at him while he asked his questions. She was greeted only with silence, and she had to risk a glance in his direction just to make sure he was still there. What she saw astounded her. 'Is that – Is that _real emotion_? Wow, that's new…' It seemed the stoic lord had dropped his mask while she was occupied.

Deciding it was best he not know she had seen, she went back to her task and waited for him to ask his questions. 'Kami, I hope they aren't awful. He's having to think about them for a really long time.' Just when she was beginning to feel the first stirrings of panic, he spoke.

"Back at the village, when you protected Rin and passed out afterwards, the miko told me you had used to much reiki. How did you accomplish such a feat?"

'Damn, I think that's the most words I've ever heard him say at once. And if that's his first question, how many does he have? That was almost two weeks ago…'

"Well…" Thinking back on that day, she remembered why it had taken so much out of her. "Oh, yeah. The day before I had done some pretty extensive training with my reiki, or at least extensive for me. Then when the oni attacked, I think I expended too much reiki much too fast. Basically, I haven't had much training and I'm still trying to control my powers."

"Why did you not want my money?"

'Okay then, rapid fire questions. Fun.' She paused in her work before looking up to meet his gaze. She wanted him to be able to see the truth in her eyes. "Because, you are worth far more than any sum of money you could give me. I – we needed your help."

She watched with veiled interest as his eyes widened minutely. They however narrowed just as quickly. "Flattery will get you nowhere, girl."

'Oh, "girl". Looks like I've been demoted.' She thought wryly. Narrowing her eyes as well, she offered him the coldest tone she could produce. "Clearly you do not know me. I only give compliments where they are due." With that, she gave him the metaphorical cold shoulder and returned to her work. She could feel her ire rising after that comment. 'Wait, why should I care what he thinks? I obviously shouldn't put much stock into his opinions. So far, he apparently thinks I'm nothing more than a foolish human, and apparently a gold digger.' As the silence reigned, Kagome thought she had been given a reprieve with his questions. Therefore, she was not prepared for the one to follow.

"What has changed between you and the hanyou?"

Gasping, a familiar sharp pain in her heart made itself known once more, and she suddenly found it hard to breathe. Feeling the tell-tale prickling of tears, the panic reasserted itself in full. Trying to cover up her pain, she lashed out at the one person near her.

"What's it to you?" She all but snarled. Still she refused to look up from the now skinned buck, she didn't want him to see her weakness.

Immediately, she found herself pressed against a tree with a hand wrapped around her neck. 'What is it with my neck? Why can't we change it up and use the wrists or something?' She dared not raise her eyes, fearing what Sesshomaru would see if she did. For some stupid reason, she valued what he thought of her.

"Watch yourself, miko. My patience runs thin." Nodding her head, she hoped that he would leave it at that, leave her alone for a few minutes. Of course, as had been the case as of late, luck was not on her side. "What are you hiding?"

Taking a deep and shaky breath, she responded in a whisper. "Nothing."

"You lie."

"I am hiding nothing. Nothing that matters." His hand left her throat, and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her relief was short lived, however, as she felt his hand grasp her chin. She was surprised at the gentleness with which he held her, and even more so when he lifted her chin so that he could view her face.

It was when she looked into his eyes that the tears she had been holding back burst forth. She had been expecting anger or even disgust. But all she saw in those golden-hued orbs was confusion and what may have been a spark of concern.

"You are hiding your pain."

Tearing her eyes away from his, and her face from the grasp he had on her chin, she tried her best to conceal her shame. She knew what role she played in her group. She was the one that was supposed to keep everything together, make everyone happy. She couldn't do that if she herself fell apart. Wiping fervently at her eyes to dispel her tears, she waited. She knew the taiyoukai had more to say.

"Pain matters miko. And it will destroy you from the inside out if you continue to hide it away."

"What do you suggest I do then? I can't tell them."

"Why?"

"They don't understand, none of them. I'm too _different_. The way I act and the way I live doesn't make sense to them." The tears were starting again. She was telling him things she hadn't even told her own mother. Things she had blocked up and stowed away from the beginning. 'You are too trusting. Stop telling him everything. Shut. Up.'

"Hn."

'Please don't ask anything else. Please. I can't talk anymore right now.'

"Miko."

"What." Her tone came out sharper than she liked, and she was half expecting to be pinned to the tree again.

"Should you wish to talk. This Sesshomaru will endeavor to… listen."

Whipping her head back in his direction, she stared at him with complete and utter confusion on her face.

"What?" Looking at him, she realized he was entirely out of his element again. He appeared distinctly uncomfortable.

"This Sesshomaru does not repeat himself." With that, he turned heel and walked away, leaving her standing alone gaping like a fish. He seemed to leave her in that state pretty often. Even though their conversation had ended, she knew the offer remained on the table. Sesshomaru was nothing if not serious. Every word that came out of his mouth, he meant.

'Geez, if the first day has been this much fun… I don't even want to know how the rest of our time with Sesshomaru is going to go.' Running a shaking hand through her hair, she decided she _really_ wanted to go hunting, even more so than she had a few hours ago.


	39. Triumph

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 39 – Triumph

"Where the hell have you been?" Inuyasha demanded right as she entered the campsite.

"Ah, nice to see you too Inuyasha. I trust you're having a good morning." 'Probably not the best tactic there, Kagome. At this rate, you're not going to make it to the end of the week. Since when is pissing off demons a good idea?' She tried to walk around him so she could set down her kill as well as her bow and quiver, but Inuyasha had different ideas.

Blocking her path once more, he came uncomfortably close. "Answer my question, wench."

Kagome narrowed her eyes before bringing them to rest on his face. She had been trying to avoid a confrontation. But with Inuyasha, trying to avoid a confrontation is inevitable and unavoidable, much like the dentist appointments her mom had a penchant for scheduling.

"Where does it look like I've been?"

"Don't be a smartass, Kagome."

"Well, isn't it obvious? Clearly I've just came back from dining with Naraku. He wanted me to give you his regards. He even let me bring back food for all of you! How nice of-"

*SNAP* Suddenly she found herself looking at an entirely different view of the campsite, and it took her a moment to figure out what happened. The gasps of the others in the camp helped clue her in. Bringing her free hand up to her face, she gingerly touched her cheek. And when she brought it forward for her inspection, found her fingers to be wet with blood. Her blood.

"You…" She brought her head back to look at Inuyasha. She was still to shocked to bring forth anger. "You just _hit_ me."

Inuyasha looked shocked for a moment as well, but his anger wasn't so easily quelled. He turned to the side, crossing his arms, and clearly tried to dismiss her. 'Ah hell no! Not this time, bub.'

"Keh. You deserved it."

"I deserved it? I _deserved_ it?! You go running off to Kikyo, _again_ , and have the nerve to question me on _my_ whereabouts? And then you _hit me_ because I mouthed off to you, which might I add, you do to me every day! What the hell, Inuyasha!"

"Look here, bitch-"

"No! You look here, Inuyasha. I've had enough. No more! You touch me one more time, you hurt me one more time, and I swear I will purify you to hell and back. Do you understand?"

"Keh. You're too weak to hurt me. You couldn't even hurt a fly. You're a pathetic bitch, the only thing you're good at is whining about how much your feet hurt."

*CRUNCH* Inuyasha staggered back a few feet clutching his nose. Blood was practically spewing from it, and it was already starting to swell. 'Good, I think I broke it. Serves him right.'

"What was that, Inuyasha? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your girly scream. That was actually pretty impressive, by the way. You get pointers from the village kids?" She registered the sound of giggling. Seems Rin and Shippo both found her half-assed remarks amusing.

"You fuckin' bitch! You broke my nose!" She could've laughed at how nasally he sounded.

"Oh quit _whining,_ Inuyasha! Besides, if you're not careful, you might come out sounding like me. Like you said, that's all I'm good at. Right?"

Fuming, Inuyasha opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying but failing to come up with a good retort. Giving up, he simply turned and stomped angrily out of the clearing. 'Finally, looks like he's starting to get the picture. Baka.'


	40. Cynicism

Sorry I'm late again guys. This week is already awful. I was nearly run off the road by a crazed driver this weekend, and today, not 30 minutes ago, I fell and face-planted and broke my glasses. So yeah. So much fun. Hope you guys are doing much better than I am.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 40 – Cynicism

"Miko?" Sesshomaru spoke, bringing her out of her inner revelry.

"Hm?"

"Perhaps you should see to your injury."

"What? Oh, right." She brought her hand up to her cheek once more, her good mood dissipating in an instant. "Wouldn't want it to scar…" She mused, ruefully. Trudging to her backpack, she grabbed her first aid kit before heading to the stream once more.

In a few moments, she found herself at the increasingly familiar stream. 'We should really get moving, we've been in the same spot for days…'

Gazing at herself, she found that the first time in what seemed like forever, she didn't mind her reflection. Although she wasn't fond of the placement of what were undoubtedly her next set of scars, she was proud of what they represented. She had finally stood up for herself. It was about damn time.

Dipping a small towel into the stream, she brought it up to her face and began gingerly cleansing her wound. With practiced ease, her wounds had been cleaned and bandaged in a few moments. Her eyes were drawn to her matching bandages on her neck. Carefully drawing back said bandages, she had a hard time stifling her gasp at the sight.

Four long and ragged lines wrapped around her neck like some sort of gruesome choker. A few of the deeper points were still oozing blood. She was not nearly as proud of these scars. These just reminded her of his betrayal.

While cleaning and bandaging her neck once more, her mind wandered to the question Sesshomaru had raised. She too wondered just what had changed to cause Inuyasha's attitude with her to shift so drastically.

A cynical voice at the back of her mind spoke up, 'Since you moved on, you're not so easy to manipulate. He can't control you anymore, so he's trying to regain that ability through force.'

'No… Inuyasha wouldn't do that! Would he?' Any lingering good feelings she had retained from her earlier victory disappeared in a rush of cold doubt.

It seems things were falling apart quickly, and Sesshomaru had nothing to do with it. She doubted a few scars would be the worst of her problems, especially not if that nagging voice was in any way correct…


	41. Staring

Oh I'm so excited for you guys to read this chapter, I think you'll like it. I had a lot of fun writing it. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 41 – Staring

Raising her arms above her head and executing a delightful stretch, Kagome let out a long and luxurious sigh. After far too many days spent at that stupid clearing, she was beyond glad to be on the road again. Despite her recent hardships and numerous doubts, she felt remarkable light today. Her backpack didn't even feel that heavy. She was, well, happy.

It helped that Inuyasha hadn't opened his trap since she'd "set him straight". She figured Inuyasha didn't appreciate the snickers from the kids every time he talked. His nose still hadn't healed completely. Her favorite thing was the nose whistle he had developed sometime during the night. Hard to take a guy seriously when his nose produced an almost perfect middle C pitch. Anytime she thought he'd snap at Rin and Shippo for laughing, she'd hum the same pitch. That shut him up pretty quickly.

Glancing back, she mentally noted where everyone was and how they were doing. Sango was still joyful from Kohaku's return, and was chatting his ear off incessantly. Not that Kohaku really minded. He seemed glad just to be with her again. Miroku trailed not far behind them, his eyes constantly trained on Sango. And the look in his eyes, Kami, his love for her was so obvious.

Rin and Shippo were riding on Ah-Un chatting animatedly. Every now and then Shippo would pull out a few toys for the two of them to play with. Jaken held the reins and guided Ah-Un forward, grumbling every minute or so to himself.

Inuyasha was trailing off to the side, not really having anyone to talk to… or boss around. He frankly looked bored and pissed off at the same time.

Sesshomaru was bringing up the rear, mostly staring off into the distance. During her inspection, his eyes found hers. Blushing, she quickly looked forward again, being beyond embarrassed about staring. 'I can't help it though.' She whined inwardly. 'He's just so – I don't even know. That's probably why I'm staring. No matter how hard I try, I just don't understand him.'

Running a hand through her hair in frustration, she quickly noted the position of the sun before stopping and turning to address the group.

"Hey guys, it's about noon. How about we stop for lunch?"

All of the humans perked up at her declaration, Kohaku and Rin even offered enthusiastic nodding. Chuckling, and decisively ignoring the grumbling from Jaken and groaning from Inuyasha, she guided them towards the shelter of the trees.

Everyone settled relatively quickly. Inuyasha, almost like clockwork, simply disappeared once more. Kagome rationed out some dried meat from her bag, along with some berries she had collected before leaving the clearing this morning. Frowning in concentration, she wondered at what she was forgetting before diving back into her backpack for a few canteens of water.

She looked around to make sure everyone had something to eat, and was about to eat her own lunch, when she noticed Sesshomaru had nothing and was simply standing at the edge of their group.

"Sesshomaru… sama… Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? We have plenty to go around."

Sesshomaru met her gaze, and the look in his eyes was one she was once again unfamiliar with. It was significantly softer than the bored one he usually sported, and looked… contemplative maybe?

Her musing was interrupted by a high and grating screech.

"Foolish human! Lord Sesshomaru would never eat your disgusting human foods. Besides, milord can go weeks without food to sustain him. Not that your pitiful excuse for food would sustain any demon, let alone the great Lord Sesshomaru! You should beg forgiveness for -"

"Jaken." Kagome had to stifle a snort when Jaken immediately prostrated himself before Sesshomaru.

"Y-yes milord?"

A booted foot came down on the imp's head, and there was nothing Kagome could do to contain her snort this time.

"Silence."

"Of course, milord. This lowly servant begs your forgiveness." Jaken dragged himself up and grumbled a few times about how he wasn't appreciated by anyone. Meanwhile, Kagome was trying to contain the laughter that was trying to burst forth. She settled for covering her mouth and allowing her shoulders to shake a little.

However, the universe apparently was against her containing her mirth. She completely lost all control after Rin spoke up with, "Master Jaken, why do you have dirt on your face? Did you fall over again?"

She was all out giggling, and Kami did her stomach hurt, but it was just too funny. Soon Rin and Shippo joined her in her laughter, Miroku and Sango offered a small chuckle themselves. Kohaku merely smiled, seemingly familiar with this exchange.

Kagome had expected Jaken to act affronted at her amusement of his situation, but instead he just seemed embarrassed and flustered. He had even allowed himself a small smile after Rin had begun to laugh. 'Of course he has a soft spot for her. That's just too cute.'

After calming down, Kagome leaned back against a tree behind her and smiled serenely. 'When was the last time I laughed that much? I don't even remember.' Opening her eyes, and about to dig into her lunch, Kagome noticed that Jaken, too, did not have food. She worried her lip for a few moments before deciding to risk asking him if he needed food.

"Jaken? Do you – would you like some food?"

"You would give me some of your food?" He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Well, yeah. This food is for everyone in our group, and you're in our group now."

Suddenly, Jaken was at her side groveling much like he did with Sesshomaru. "Oh thank you! You are very gracious for a human!" And just as quickly as he came, he was shuffling over to the food and grabbing a portion of it for himself. 'For a human? Geez, that toad couldn't come up with an actual compliment even if his life depended on it.' Despite the barb, Kagome couldn't bring herself to be mad at the toad. He was the same as any other demon, believing humans were all the same; greedy and weak, among other unfavorable stereotypes.

Now satisfied that everyone had received their food, she allowed herself to dig into her own portion. Relaxing once more against the tree, Kagome couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face. Today had been a good day so far, one of the best she'd had in a while. Finishing her food, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to go blank for a few moments, relishing the peace of the moment.

Peeking out of the corner of her eye, she had to squash the urge to sigh. Sesshomaru was still standing at the corner of their claimed rest area, looking as bored and stoic as ever. Figuring she could push her luck, considering he had been in a relatively good mood today, she spoke.

"You can sit down, you know."

"Perhaps I do not wish to."

"So you're just going to walk _all_ day, and _maybe_ sit later tonight."

"Hn." There was silence for a few moments. The entire group, even the children, had stopped talking to listen to their exchange.

Kagome opened her eyes fully and turned her head to look at Sesshomaru. And she wasn't expecting to see what she did. Nothing had changed really. Sesshomaru was still standing there, and she was pretty sure the only muscles he'd moved was his mouth. But the sun had shifted enough to cast a brilliant beam of light straight onto his form. She was seeing him in a new light, literally. It suited him actually. 'Kamis above, that's just not fair. How can one person look so gorgeous?' There was a halo of light surrounding his head, and his hair was practically glowing. Against his pale face, the gleam brought out his markings in striking detail. And the late afternoon beam complemented his eyes perfectly, being almost the same shade of golden honey.

Deciding it probably wasn't the best idea to sit there and continue gawking, Kagome hurried to find something cocky and probably idiotic to say in order to cover up her lapse from reality. Finding the perfect one, she crossed her fingers and hoped she didn't die for once more teasing something that could kill her. Smirking, she leaned back against the tree once more and closed her eyes.

"Well at least move into the shade. If the sun keeps reflecting off of your clothing, you're going to blind someone."

There wasn't silence after this remark. There was instead a glorious cacophony of gasps, giggles, and indignant sputtering from a certain toad. The sense of victory that filled her was nearly tangible, but terribly short-lived.

"Were that true, would you not be blind Miko? You were staring at this Sesshomaru for quite a while."

Now it was her turn to sputter, and sputter she did. "I – You – But… You weren't even looking at me… No wait, I – I wasn't staring!"

The giggles started up again, and her traitorous son decided to put his two cents in. "You were totally staring, Mama. You were almost drooling."

Whipping around, Kagome pointed her finger at him before addressing him. "You stay out of this, mister."

"I don't know Kagome; I think Shippo is right. You were looking at Lord Sesshomaru for a good thirty seconds at least." Miroku pronounced sagely.

"I was not! I was just thinking about something and happened to be looking in his general direction."

"I think I know what you were thinking about." Sango declared, while concealing her smirk behind a hand.

Crossing her arms and pouting for good measure, Kagome insisted once more, "You guys! I was _not_ staring!"

"Staring at what?" A voice spoke from a few feet away. Turning, Kagome is surprised to see that Inuyasha had returned.

"I – It's nothing." She mumbled, a rose-colored blush obvious on her face. Quickly, she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. All while wishing that hadn't just happened.

Inuyasha, beyond perplexed, tried fruitlessly to look for answers, but none of the group members would meet his gaze. When he looked to his half-brother and found him smirking, he decided that whatever was going on, he didn't like it. He'd need to keep a closer on Sesshomaru, he didn't trust him one bit.


	42. Perceptive

I have loved your guys' reviews so much! They have definitely lifted my spirits. Thank you so much for your continued support! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 42 – Perceptive

Kagome still had her head buried in her lap when she felt someone settle on the ground next to her. Except it wasn't just anyone, it was Sesshomaru.

"Miko."

"What Sesshomaru…sama?" 'Can't you tell I'm trying to have a crisis here?' She grumbled internally.

"I have questions."

"Again?" She still had not lifted her head. She wasn't entirely sure she'd stopped blushing yet.

"Hn."

"What." She didn't really care that her ire was evident in her voice. She really didn't want to talk, especially not if the result was similar to their last round of questions.

"When you talked with the young slayer, you said you knew what being controlled felt like."

"That's not a question."

"Miko."

"Ugh, fine." She lifted her head and offered Sesshomaru a dark look before gazing off into the distance. "I was cursed by a dark miko and at first she tried to control me. I almost killed Inuyasha." Inuyasha, having settled in a tree at the edge of their temporary camp, scoffed at this. Kagome merely glared in his direction before continuing. "But I fought against it so much that she just forced me into a deep sleep. That was quite a bit harder to get myself out of, but when I did, I sent her curse back at her and was freed."

"What did the miko use to curse you?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, puzzled as to where his questioning was going.

"What object fueled the curse? Gave it power?"

"The Shikon jewel… Why?"

"You should not have been able to break free from that curse. Especially not if it was being fueled by the Shikon jewel."

"Well I did."

"Hn."

"Are you doubting me?" Indignant didn't even cover how she was feeling. Why did everyone have to doubt her?

"No. I am merely astounded that you were able to fight off such a strong curse, especially while being untrained."

Kagome merely grumbled before burying her head again, this time leaning her forehead on her crossed arms.

"Miko."

"Hm."

"I watched you demonstrate sufficient defensive skills against the hanyou, and you were able to subdue the young taijiya, yet you claim to be 'untrained'."

Kagome stiffened. 'How is it he is able to find the things I really _don't_ want to talk about?'

"Kagome, what the hell is he talking about?" Inuyasha forced out.

Kagome, really not liking where things were going, stood up and looked around at everyone in camp.

"I think it's about time we keep moving, don't you?" She then stalked off down the road, not caring when the group would catch up. 'And I thought Miroku was perceptive…'


	43. Crash

Finally, fall break has arrived! I've been insanely busy this semester so it feels wonderful to have a break. I'm hoping to write a few chapters, maybe even get close to finishing the story (no worries - I write my chapters ahead of time, so I'll be "finished" with the story long before I actually post its ending). With that in mind, eventually I'd like to post ideas for my next story. I've already started to think on a few plots, so eventually I'll throw out a few ideas and you lovelies can let me know which one you'd like to read next. As always, thanks for your continued support! You guys are the best. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 43 – Crash

Sesshomaru looked on, shocked, as the miko stalked down the road away from the group. Tension was clear in her posture and a feeling of anger was practically rolling from her. 'Most would appreciate complements of their skill…' He watched silently as the inutachi scrambled to grab their things and catch up to the fuming miko.

Deciding to allow the miko to cool off, he hung back, allowing his section of the group to bring up the rear. It seemed the rest of the inutachi had similar ideas, as they all gave Kagome a wide berth. All except Inuyasha that is. The fool had bounded after her just moments after she had stormed off. Sesshomaru could hear him still prodding at the miko, trying to figure out why he believed her to be trained.

"Kagome. What the hell did he mean?"

"You don't have any training! You're just a weak human."

With each insult the hanyou threw her way, Kagome grew more and more tense. Her hands were balled up into fists, and Sesshomaru could clearly see the whites of her knuckles even from his substantial distance.

"If you had training, then why haven't you fucking used it? Do you know how many times I've had to save your sorry ass?"

Kagome came to a sudden halt. It was so sudden in fact, that Inuyasha had taken several paces before he realized she had stopped. Her head was bowed, low enough that her bangs hid her face. Her body was ridged, pulled taut not unlike a bow. And a deadly silence fell about the group. Well, over most of the group. Seems Inuyasha never really understood when to stay silent.

"What the hell are you stopping for?"

"Aw, what's the matter Ka-go-me? Did that strike a nerve?"

"Did I hurt your little feelings?"

Silence. It was well past the point where Kagome usually would have blown up, sending Inuyasha to the ground with his beads. As the wind shifted, Sesshomaru understood why. She wasn't angry, at least not her usual angry. With the smell of salt heavy in the air, it was easy to tell that she was crying.

As the wind shifted once more, blowing in Inuyasha's direction, he seemed to come to the same realization.

"Why the hell are you crying?"

Kagome lifted her head and met Inuyasha's uncertain gaze. Her azure eyes were red and wet tear trails were visible on her face. Kagome opened her mouth and spoke, and it was clear that the once pillar of strength that was Kagome had come crashing down. Her voice held no confidence, only sorrow.

"I will never be good enough for you, will I?"

Stillness. It seemed as if the world had stopped to hear his answer. Nature itself held its breath, for the wind had stilled. No member of the inutachi dared move let alone breathe.

"… Kagome, I -."

"It doesn't matter what I do, because I will never meet your expectations. I will never be as good as Kikyo. You put her on a golden pedestal, Inuyasha! And I will never be able to live up to that!" Her voice cracked, and she lowered her head once more.

Softer, so quiet even he, Sesshomaru, had to strain his ears to hear, Kagome spoke once more.

"I'm going home."

With that, she gripped the straps of her bag and straddled a now transformed fire cat. Then they were gone. And behind, she left a fractured group.


	44. Aftershock

This one's a short one. (Don't hate me) :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 44 – Aftershock

"Kagome!" Her mother was calling for her. Somewhere in her mind, she registered that fact, but she paid her no mind. It wasn't like she'd be hard to find. Kagome hadn't strayed far from the God Tree ever since she had returned from the feudal era. She only really left its side when it was time for bed.

"Kagome dear?" Her mother was in front of her now, looking at her with that same concerned expression. She'd go away eventually.

"Kagome. It's been a week. Don't you think it's time to go back?"

'A week? Has it really been that long?'

A strong grip on her shoulder pulled her from that strange numbness she'd been hiding in, for a week apparently.

"Kagome! Enough of this! You're scaring me! Please, just tell me what's wrong."

Her mother's words were enough to dredge her from the safety of the numbness. And as her eyes focused on her mother's face, she felt the metaphorical damn burst. With surprising speed, she threw herself into her mother's arms and allowed herself to dissolve into a fit of tears.

Her mother, glad to at least see Kagome become responsive once more, merely stroked her hair and waited for her tears to dry. And when they did, she helped Kagome to her feet, guided her into the house and up into her room. There she lay down in bed with her and held her close. And she prayed, prayed that whatever had happened on the other side of the well had not finally broken her baby girl.


	45. Revelations

Here's the next chapter a little early. Hope you all are doing well! As always, I love hearing from you guys. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 45 – Revelations

"Miroku, I'm worried. It's been a week and neither Kagome nor Inuyasha have returned."

"I know Sango. But one of them is bound to return eventually."

"One of them?"

"You know this fight was different. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of them began to avoid the other."

"That's putting it mildly, don't you think houshi?" Sango replied heatedly.

"Sango…" There was a warning in his voice. Miroku thought it best that she not say what they all were thinking.

"No, Miroku. Someone has to say it!"

"Not in front of –."

"You don't think she's coming back." Shippo interrupted, tired of hearing them dance around the same subject for a week.

"Shippo, we're sorry." Sango replied.

"You should be!" He fired back, surprising the group around him with the venom in his voice. "If you all are really wondering whether or not she'll come back, then none of you actually know her. If you did, you'd know she'd never abandon her duty like that! She wouldn't abandon us!" With that, he shot of into the forest. Sango, not wanted Shippo to be alone in the forest, nodded to Kirara. Kirara, understanding Sango's unspoken order, stood and followed after the distraught kit.

Kohaku had sat back, and not spoken more than a few words for the full week and a half he had joined the group. He had not wanted to overstay his welcome. But now he felt as if he should say something. He found it troubling, the lack of faith in the kind women known as Kagome. Although he had only met her a few times, several of them during the time he was under Naraku's control, he felt he could understand her. She reminded him a lot of himself, an unwilling participant in what was shaping up to be a war. She wasn't meant for fighting, true. But that didn't make her weak. And he could see it in the eyes of almost everyone present, that they believed her to be weak.

"Shippo is right."

All heads turned towards him, and he could feel his face warming at the attention.

"What?" Sango's reply was a mere whisper. She didn't want Kohaku to be right, but she knew that he was perceptive.

"Lady Kagome is loyal, never-endingly so. And she is determined, stubborn, and very honorable. All of these qualities are what bring her back from her home, bring her back even though she doesn't need to."

"Doesn't need to?" Jaken squawked. "She is the Shikon miko! It is her duty to protect it! A duty, I might add, that she has already failed."

At Jaken's words, he found himself pummeled by a familiar fist.

"Lady Kagome has not failed. Yes, the jewel was shattered, but don't you think it is better that it did?"

"What do you mean Kohaku?" Miroku turned towards the boy, wondering at his reasoning.

"What do you think would have happened if Naraku had found Kagome with the full jewel?"

Silence.

"Exactly. The jewel shattering has given her the opportunity to train and grow in strength. Had the jewel not shattered, she would not have gone on this quest. And had she not gone on this quest, it is highly unlikely she would have met anyone here."

"Wait, Kohaku-kun?"

"Yes Rin?"

"You said that Lady Kagome didn't have to keep coming back. Why not?"

"Technically, after Lady Kikyo returned, Lady Kagome could have chosen to remain at home. As the former Shikon miko, Lady Kikyo has the ability to see the shards and the strength needed to gather them. It was out of honor that Lady Kagome chose to stay. I believe she feels that she is at fault for the shattering of the jewel, and therefore should be the one to make it whole once more. That and I doubt after meeting all of you, she would abandon you so easily. She loves you all, and it would hurt her to leave you here with the burden of fighting Naraku."

After a tense silence, Miroku turned to Kohaku once more. "Thank you Kohaku. You have given us much to think on."

As the inutachi stewed in their thoughts, Sesshomaru took this opportunity to slip away. He too had much to think on. It seems Bokusenō had been telling the truth to some degree. The miko had some qualities that were reminiscent of himself, and he had no doubt that he would find more similarities if he were to continue digging. Yes, he had much to think on.


	46. Lost

Another short one, hehe sorry guys. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 46 - Lost

"Are you sure you're ready, Kagome?"

'No I'm not sure.' She thought to herself. 'For the first time, I'm not sure I ever want to go back. But it's not about me, and I can't just walk away from them or the jewel.'

Keeping her thoughts to herself, she turned to her mom a spoke with a fake cheerfulness. "Yep! Ready and raring to go!"

Judging by the frown on her mother's face, she didn't believe her one bit. Sobering, Kagome let the fake cheer leave her. Deciding to be honest, she spoke again.

"Honestly, mama, no I'm not ready. But you know I can't just leave, I have to finish this. I can't just give up because of something as petty as hurt feelings."

"Kagome, your feelings are important. You shouldn't have to worry about being hurt by your own friends."

"I know mama."

"Nothing I say or do is going to convince you to stay, I know this. So just… Be safe, Kagome." Her mother cupped her cheek with her hand, and Kagome leaned into it willingly. Closing her eyes, she reveled in the feeling of love in the gesture. "And don't sacrifice your heart just to make other people happy."

"I'll try."

"That's all I can ask."

Kagome gripped the straps of her backpack and walked towards the well with determination. Leaping into the well, she felt the pull of time and was gone.

Her mother, feeling the magic of the well disappear, finally let her tears fall free. Her poor daughter, no matter what she promised, was losing herself on the other side of that accursed well. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.


	47. Revelations Pt 2

With all of the negativity going on right now, I thought I'd post a chapter as a little pick me up. There's a lot of hatred nowadays, so it's best to just focus on spreading love. I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! Hugs

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 47 – Revelations Pt. 2

After leaving the inutachi, Sesshomaru had allowed himself to wander while lost in thought. He had not realized until reaching the dry well just outside of Edo that he had been subconsciously following the miko's scent. He had noticed in his travels that the miko frequented this particular clearing, but had attributed it to her clear love of nature. The clearing was nice to look at, scenery-wise, he supposed. But now, now that he knew the miko had returned 'home'… He wondered just what or where her home was. Surely she did not reside within the dry well.

Upon further inspection, Sesshomaru found that her scent did in fact lead into the well. However, he could tell that she was not currently within the well. It was if she simply disappeared.

'Just when I begin to unravel the mystery of this girl, something arises and puzzles me once more.'

Deciding that some of his answers would be answered when she returned, he resigned himself to waiting for her return. Leaping into a tree, he settled in to wait for the troublesome girl. 'Hopefully she will not keep this Sesshomaru waiting too long…'

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

He was not sure just how long he had been in the clearing, but he was notified of the miko's presence by a pulsing of energy resonating from the formerly unassuming well. Lost in thought about just what kind of magic this well possessed, he did not notice the miko herself until she had already climbed out of the well and slumped against its sides.

His attention was drawn to her once more at the sound of ragged breathing. Noticing her slumped posture, he concluded that her week at home had not restored her former… enthusiasm. Seeing her with her head in her hands and looking so utterly defeated seemed wrong. Even when he had believed her to be lacking in power, he had never seen her look so weak.

Feeling a pinch in his hand, Sesshomaru looked down to see five small welts slowly closing. Why did her current demeanor bother him so?

"Are you regretting our alliance, Sesshomaru-sama?"

Startled, Sesshomaru flicked his eyes up to see Kagome looking at him with cold eyes. 'No, not cold.' Sesshomaru corrects. 'Empty. Void of all emotion.' He decided that out of all of her changes, this was his least favorite. The miko was ruled by her emotions, to see her hide them away is unsettling at best.

"No, Miko. I am not regretting our alliance. I am, however, regretting my contribution to your argument with the – with Inuyasha…" Trailing off, Sesshomaru looked away, wondering why he had loosened his tongue to try and lessen her pain. And why he felt he needed to do so in the first place.

"It's not your fault Sesshomaru-sama. I have been feeling this way for quite a while. It would have come with or without your, er, contribution… Speaking of which. Thank you."

At her words of gratitude, his eyes flitted back to her face in surprise. She was thanking him?

"Forgive me Miko, but what is there to thank this Sesshomaru for?"

He was graced with a warm smile and a small flicker of emotion in her eyes before her response. "For noticing my training. I have had some minor training in both hand-to-hand combat and a few select weapons. No one – no one has ever noticed before. Well no one but Shippo that is, but he knows me better than anyone else I suppose."

He did not know how to respond. He found himself tongue-tied and flustered, a state he had not found himself in for a few centuries. And he couldn't help but noticed the way her cheeks flushed with her nervousness, and how she fiddled with a strand of her hair before tucking it behind one of her ears. In that moment, in the light of the setting sun, she looked… stunning.

"I guess what I mean is… Thank you for getting to know me. You have been part of our group for such a short time, but you've noticed details about me that no one else has. You are a good ally, Sesshomaru-sama. No, more than that. I would like to think that you are a friend."

Sesshomaru watched as she shyly met his gaze, a light blush still staining her cheeks. She must have seen something in his eyes that surprised her, for her eyes widened and her lips parted in shock. In that moment, Sesshomaru felt something that he had not felt before. Looking at her plump and parted lips, he wanted nothing more than to kiss them, to relish in her unique taste.

'Kami, what has this woman done to me?'


	48. Progress

Alright, this chapter deviates from the cuteness for a little bit, but there's gonna be a really sweet interaction between Kagome and Sesshomaru in the next chapter, so hang in there. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 48 – Progress

She had never seen so much emotion in his eyes. He looked contemplative… and appreciative? But what truly surprised her was the fire behind his amber eyes. Before, she had been so sure that he was cold with little to no emotions. It was clear she was wrong. He had merely been hiding them all along.

Lost in the expressive depths of his eyes, she did not know how long she had been staring. It was probably far too long.

"Eh, hehe, perhaps we should return to the group Sesshomaru-sama." She stuttered, looking away from his heated gaze. Upon receiving his stereotypical 'hn' she allowed herself a small smile. 'Perhaps coming back wasn't as awful as I thought it would be.'

Once Sesshomaru had joined her on the ground, she fell in step behind him. Given a rare opportunity to study him without his notice, she did just that. He held himself with such poise, with his chin up and his gaze pointed forward. Until she had gotten to know him, she had thought he had an arrogant air about him, and she supposed he did at times. But when no one was around, he just seemed confident and elegant. Seeing him away from possible combatants was eye-opening because for these few moments, she caught a glimpse of his true self. Not the farce he put on to intimidate others and keep them away. He was not a man with a frozen heart, merely a man who had built a wall to keep others out.

'Wait, if I can see this… Does that mean he has let me in?' Scoffing at the ridiculousness of her inner thoughts, Kagome pulled her gaze from Sesshomaru to look at the surrounding forest. It was then that she realized she knew where they were.

"Sesshomaru-sama? Why are we near Edo?"

"Edo is near your home is it not?"

Puffing out her cheeks in irritation, she retorted. "That's not what I meant, and you know it." Crossing her arms, she allowed herself to pout a little bit and practically drilled holes in the back of his head with her eyes.

Kagome watched as he turned his head and met her eyes. "Your companions chose to return to Edo when you did not return after a few days." She watched as he glanced over her posture after speaking, then nearly tripped at the smirk he offered before facing forward once more. 'Okay, there's no way I imagined that one. He totally smiled, even if it was a demented one.'

A smile found its way on to her face unbidden, and her step unconsciously lightened. Upon reaching the hill overlooking Edo, Kagome skipped forward a few paces before pushing her aura forward to alert her friends that she had returned. Expecting just the children to greet her, Kagome was surprised to find Sango the front runner in the race to reach her. She was quickly enveloped in an enormous bear hug by the taijiya and could not keep herself upright when the children joined, each pummeling a leg. Soon enough, Kagome found herself at the bottom of a writhing dog pile after every member of her group threw themselves onto her. Well not every member. Luckily Sesshomaru, Jaken and Ah-Un abstained, or she was sure she wouldn't be breathing anymore.

"Guys!" Her muffled cry came from beneath the pile of inutachi. "I missed you too, but I kinda need to breathe at some point."

After a few minutes and the untangling of many limbs, Kagome remained sprawled out on the ground while the inutachi settled themselves in a half circle around her.

"Not that I don't appreciate the attention, but what's going on guys? I've been gone for a week before and it didn't seem to affect anything." Neither Miroku nor Sango would meet her gaze, Kohaku and Rin merely shrugged, Kirara of course could not answer her question. Sighing, she pinned Shippo with her best stern look and waited. 'Let's see, previous record time was around five seconds. 1 – 2 – 3.'

"Miroku and Sango didn't think you were coming back." He blurted out, then turned to see some not so friendly looks from the older members of the group.

"What?" She questioned, turning perplexed eyes onto the pair. She was met with a saddened and guilty monk, and a taijiya that would still not meet her eyes. "Shippo's kidding right? You guys know that I'll always come back?" Miroku now will not look at her either, both of them are beginning to resemble chastised children. Kagome felt tears begin to spring up and dipped her head to hide her face. "I would've thought after – after all that we've been through – that you'd have more faith in me."

Standing swiftly, Kagome turned and made her way back into the forest not once looking back. She didn't know where she was going, just that for the time being, she didn't want to be there.


	49. Spring

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for the wait. These last few weeks have been absolutely crazy! Between my weirdly busy social life and the holidays, I just completely lost track of time. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it. It's my absolute favorite chapter in the story so far. (It's so fluffy!) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 49 – Spring

The stupid tears wouldn't stop. The sides of her pants were damp with the moisture she'd tried to get off of her hands. And her nose was running too.

"Quit being stupid, Kagome. It's not like this is the first time they've misunderstood you. And they were clearly sorry, so stop crying."

'Now I'm talking to myself.' And the tears were still coming.

"Where is all of this water coming from! If I don't stop leaking, I'm going to need a plumber." Scoffing, she rolled her eyes before squeezing them shut. 'That was an awful joke. And I'm still talking to myself.'

"What is this 'plumber' you speak of?"

"Gah!" She shrieked in surprise before losing her balance and falling off of the tree root she'd been seated on. Huffing, she blew her bangs out of her face before glancing at the eavesdropping taiyoukai. "How long have you been listening?"

She received a quirked eyebrow in response. Kami this felt familiar. At least there wasn't as much cussing this time around. 'Could've done without the crying, though.'

Groaning, Kagome threw an arm over her eyes and remained in her position sprawled out on the ground from her fall. After a few moments of silence, Kagome peeked out from her elbow. "Am I being stupid?"

Silence.

Groaning again, Kagome hid her face behind her elbow once more and mumbled, "If you say 'hn' I'm going to hit you with a stick."

"Hn."

She gasped in indignation, flinging her arm away from her face to grope for a stick, but stopped short after looking at Sesshomaru. He was smiling. And it wasn't like that evil smirk from earlier that morning. It honestly looked like he was laughing. Well, internally laughing. But there was no doubt in her mind that she was seeing mirth in his eyes, even if it was hardly noticeable. Kagome couldn't help giggling in return.

"Jerk." There was no anger behind the sentiment, just warmth. It couldn't pass for an insult even if she tried. Running a hand through her mussed hair, Kagome had a stark realization. She'd stopped crying, a few minutes ago judging by the dried tears on her face. And she couldn't bring herself to be upset at Sango and Miroku anymore. In fact, she couldn't really remember why she was upset in the first place.

Sighing lightly, Kagome lifted herself up from the ground to lean up against the tree who's root she had fallen from. Looking at the stoic taiyoukai, she waited until he met her gaze before she smiled warmly, mirth dancing behind her eyes now. "Thanks, I needed that." In response, Sesshomaru inclined his head before turning to walk back towards Edo. Watching him with something close to admiration, Kagome was surprised to see him turn back to look at her after a few paces. He was waiting for her to follow, apparently. Jumping up, Kagome brushed off her clothes before skipping the few feet to join him.

Instead of walking forward, Sesshomaru gave her a cursory glance over, then lifted his hand towards her face. She felt her cheeks heat up, but did not move, curious to know his intentions.

His hand hovered over her head for a moment before he removed it, then handed her a small pink flower. Her heart fluttered when his eyes met hers, and nearly stopped at the twitch of his mouth.

"It appears you have unintentionally found one of the first blossoms of spring, miko."

Her blush increased tenfold, except this time in mortification.

"That was in my hair, wasn't it?"

His mouth twitched again. "Hn." Thankfully, Sesshomaru finally turned and began to walk back towards Edo with her in tow. Pushing her embarrassment down, Kagome instead allowed herself to study the small blossom she held in her hand. 'Spring, huh. The season of new beginnings...' Tucking her treasure carefully into a pocket, Kagome made a mental note to press it into one of her books. This was a memory she didn't want to forget.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Inuyasha was startled by the sound of snapping of branches, and looked around to find the source, only to find himself holding the mutilated remains of a tree limb in his hands. Dropping the branch and wiping the splinters from his hands, Inuyasha paused to wonder just how long he'd been standing there. 'Not long enough to understand what the fuck I just watched.'

He had been on his way back to Edo after trying to get things figured out when he had smelled Kagome. He had thought now would be as good as any time to try and talk to her, but had stilled when he smelled his bastard of a brother nearby.

And that was how he found himself watching – he didn't even know what to call it. He just knew one thing. He didn't like the way that bastard looked at her, and he sure as hell didn't like the way she looked at him. Kagome was his. And no one, especially not his asshole brother, was going to take her away from him.


	50. Distractions

Thank you guys so much for your patience! This past month has been absolutely crazy. As a thanks, here's a pretty long chapter - by the standard of this story that is. Enjoy! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 50 – Distractions

[Flashback]

 _"_ _Guys, I already told you! I forgive you!"_

 _"_ _But Kagome, we feel so awful and you were so upset." Sango whimpered._

 _"_ _I know, that's why I went and gave myself time to reset. Besides, I can understand why you were afraid I wouldn't come back. I left for a week, and I didn't tell you when and if I'd be coming back. I'd be afraid too if I were in your place."_

 _"_ _Are you sure?"_

 _"_ _For the thousandth time, yes! Now just give me a hug and stop whining."_

Kagome had returned to Edo to find Sango nearly inconsolable, sobbing in Miroku's arms. It had taken hours to assure her that she was not angry anymore and yes, they were still friends. Kagome had even fixed Sango's favorite dinner to try and cheer her up. It had taken a lot of convincing before Sango finally relented.

It took Kagome a while to fall asleep that night. She cursed herself for her selfishness, worrying about her feelings while hurting her friends in the process. She had never stopped to wonder how her friends felt when she took off like that. Though she eventually fell asleep, it turned out to be a restless sleep at best, her dreams were filled to the brim with insecurities.

[Next Morning]

No amount of coffee could have helped her. She was beyond tired. Kagome had escaped mental hurt and exhaustion and exchanged it for physical hurt and exhaustion. Apparently she'd been tense for a while, and was finally feeling relaxed enough to feel the lovely after effects. She could have killed for a little coffee though. Not that she liked the stuff, it tasted awful. But this was shaping up to be one of those days…

There had been no apology from Inuyasha. He'd just waltzed back into the village that morning and promptly kicked her awake. At dawn. So not only did she not sleep well, she got woken up after what felt like a few hours of sleep… By a swift kick to the ribs.

Not that he got away with any of this. Kagome had yelled "sit" at least a dozen times as recompense. That didn't mean she wasn't grumpy. No amount of 'sitting' could make up for the lost sleep.

And so, she resigned herself to having an awful day and trudged at the back end of their group. No one walked with her, not that she cared. Her friends could probably tell this was a 'talk to me and you die' kind of day. If they couldn't… well they'd find out if they tried.

Sighing, Kagome allowed her murderous inner thoughts to slip away. It wasn't productive and frankly it was giving her a headache. Running a hand through her tousled hair, she allowed her gaze to wander where it pleased. It flitted from flower to flower for a time, ruminated on the sunlit tops of trees, before lingering on the passing clouds. 'It is a beautiful day… So what if it started out awful? I can make it better, no problem.'

Why her thoughts on having a better day led her to gaze at the stoic taiyoukai a few feet ahead of her, she didn't know. Nor did she particularly care. She just knew that in the past few weeks, some of her better moments had involved him.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak to him, she hesitated. Though she had initiated the conversation that had led to the merging of their perspective groups… All other contact between them had, in truth, been initiated by him. And though she wanted to speak with him, ached to walk closer to him like she had the night before, she didn't know where to begin.

'We have nothing in common. I can't talk to him, at least, not in a meaningful way. I don't know what to say!' She lamented internally. Another sigh escaped her lips, this one sounded much more forlorn than the other.

"What is troubling you, miko?"

Shocked out of her stupor, and narrowly avoiding a surprised squeal, Kagome turned wide eyes on the subject of her musings. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts, in fact, she hadn't even noticed he'd paused to wait for her until he spoke.

"Wh-what?"

Though she expected him to narrow his eyes and proclaim "this Sesshomaru does not repeat himself", he did not. Instead he resumed walking, with her in tow, then turned his eyes on his ward a few paces ahead of them and spoke again.

"Rin sighs when she wants to say or do something, but is afraid to ask this Sesshomaru. Is there something on your mind, miko?"

"I haven't sighed that many times…"

"Yes you have."

"Oh, and just how many times have I sighed then?"

Kagome watched as his gaze flickered to hers again. A small twitch at the corner of his mouth and he spoke again. "Forty-nine times."

"No I didn't – wait! You counted how many times I sighed?"

He did nothing to hold back his smirk this time. It didn't matter that he was essentially poking fun at her, she didn't care if she could see him open up like this. It felt like a special privilege that was hers alone. Or at least, she could pretend it was so. "You did, and yes."

"Why?"

"It was either that or count the amount of times Inuyasha or Jaken grumbled about worthless humans."

Kagome snickered before responding, "I'm not sure whether I should laugh or grumble myself." Though she was not overly enthused about being Sesshomaru's personal entertainment for the day, she had to admit, she felt just a little bit better. And he had once again initiated the conversation and made it seem effortless. Not that she was complaining, it was less work for her. When he initiated their contact, she wasn't as likely to feel like she was bugging him. 'If he approached me, then maybe he wants to talk to me as much as I want to talk to him…'

Kagome opened her mouth to keep talking, but was interrupted by a shout from Inuyasha. A rather convenient interruption, she thought.

"Oi, Kagome! You sense a shard yet?"

"No Inuyasha, I told you. We're heading in the direction I last sensed one. When I do sense a shard, I'll be sure to let you know."

"Well since you're being just as useful as ever, I say we take a break and eat."

Choosing to ignore the barb, Kagome simply slipped her backpack off of her shoulders and headed towards the tree cover for some shade. Unsurprisingly, Inuyasha slipped off further into the forest. No doubt meeting his dead lover. Again.

Dumping her backpack on the ground, Kagome plopped down next to it and let out a drawn out sigh. Intending to stew in her thoughts, Kagome was once again interrupted.

"Fifty."

And just like that, the annoyance slipped away. Flashing Sesshomaru a grateful smile, Kagome set about dispersing lunch to her group. So what if Inuyasha was, well, Inuyasha. She at least had her other friends who saw her worth, even if he didn't.

With a self-satisfied smile, Kagome closed her eyes and rested, awaiting the time when Inuyasha would return and annoy her all over again. She needed to mentally prepare for these things, you know?


	51. Reassurance

Thanks so much for your patience my lovelies! You are the absolute best. Hope you all had amazing holidays and are enjoying the new year. Here's the next chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 51 – Reassurance

They had barely finished their food when Inuyasha came stomping back to them demanding they get up and start moving again. Kagome had to bite her tongue to avoid saying his desire to see Kikyo was the only reason they had stopped. Instead, she simply watched with barely concealed annoyance as he once again took lead of the group.

'Why do we even let him lead? It's not like we're even really going anywhere. Heck, Rin or Shippo could lead the same if not better than him.' Settling for staring holes in the back of Inuyasha's head, she did not voice her thoughts. Not that it wasn't obvious what she was thinking. Her aura was practically broadcasting murder, and she didn't feel like hiding that. She was still grumpy after all.

"Miko."

After a sideways glance at Sesshomaru, and seeing his barely concealed amusement at her expense, she offered him an eye roll. "What?"

"If his leading bothers you, why do you not lead instead?"

"I – I never really thought about that. I mean… is that even allowed?"

Sesshomaru offered her a confused glance, before turning a contemplative gaze to Inuyasha's back. "I assume Inuyasha has told you it is not."

"Not outright, but yeah I've gotten that general feeling. I just didn't question it, because I mean, he seemed to know what he was doing."

"Do you ask in terms of human leadership, or demon leadership?"

"Hm…" 'What _do_ I mean… I guess at first I thought of it as a human leadership, but I think that changed. Now I think of this as more of a pack. So, demon then?'

"Demon, I guess."

"There are plenty of female leaders in demon hierarchies, it is not uncommon to have female alphas in inu packs. I have heard of some inus from distant lands that always have female alphas leading their packs. Gender does not matter; what matters is the alpha's strength."

"I guess the reason I never really questioned it was because… human women are hardly ever in positions of power. And when they are, they aren't really taken seriously. I just thought…" She swallowed hard, not wanting to say the words that had so often wounded her pride here in the feudal era.

"You thought it wasn't your place."

"Yeah, at least, that's what everyone keeps telling me." Kagome looked down, allowing her bangs to hide her eyes. She didn't want anyone to see the hurt there, especially not Sesshomaru. 'Why do I have to keep telling him such intimate things?'

"When has that ever stopped you before?"

Shocked from her inner stupor, she turned wide eyes on Sesshomaru. "What – what are you saying?"

"According to humans, it is not a woman's place to fight. Yet you fight. Nor is it a woman's place to speak without being spoken to. Yet you speak freely. You do as you please miko. And you have the strength to do so." Kagome could see the truth in his eyes. There was respect there too.

Without thinking, Kagome through her arms around Sesshomaru. "Kamis above, I can't tell you how much that means to me, Sesshomaru-sama!"

"… Hn…"

Noticing the quiet that had fallen over the group, Kagome seemed to realize her rather precarious position. Jumping back, a brilliant blush painting her face, Kagome mumbled an apology before shuffling away. She had shocked both Sesshomaru and herself so thoroughly that they didn't speak for the rest of the day. And any time Sesshomaru caught her gaze, her face flamed anew.

'Kami, I hugged Sesshomaru… And it was actually kind of nice.'


	52. Shifting

Okay, so I changed the formatting of my story in my computer and I'm desperately hoping it doesn't really change anything. Crossing my fingers. Also, I am taking some creative liberties with this story, so if you're going to complain... Well just please don't. My story, my rules. (Feeling sassy and tired, sorry :P)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 52 – Shifting

Seeing Kagome hug his bastard of a brother was the last straw. She wasn't allowed to touch anyone like that, except for him. It was bad enough that she let Kouga hug her and hold her hands, but Sesshomaru was a completely different problem. Now she was the one touching someone else, someone that wasn't him.

Not only that, but it was like she was a completely different person. The _old_ Kagome would never have acted like this. Ever since _he_ joined their group, she'd changed. She questioned him constantly and she fought more. Not only against enemies but against him. And now it sounded like she was questioning his leadership. He needed to get rid of Sesshomaru before he completely brainwashed his Kagome.

And so, Inuyasha continued to plot against Sesshomaru, no idea that he'd figured things out far too late to change them…

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Kagome could feel Inuyasha's turmoil quite plainly, and despite all that Inuyasha had done lately, she still felt a little bit guilty. She was sure it was blatantly obvious that she felt _something_ for Sesshomaru, and she could only imagine how that made Inuyasha feel. 'But is it really that different from what he's been doing to me through Kikyo. He knew that I loved him because I told him so, but he acted like… Like I'd never told him. Is it so wrong for me to move on?'

Leaning back against a tree, Kagome allowed her gaze to focus back on their campsite. Most members of her group had already turned in for the night. Rin and Shippo had gone to bed first, cuddling together in her spare bedroll. Ah-Un had unsurprisingly followed soon after, curling their body around the two children. Out of habit, Jaken had moved to "keep watch" over the sleeping children. Now though, he was slumped against Ah-Un's hide with his staff of two heads resting against his shoulder. The five of them made quite the picture.

Shifting her gaze to the left, her expression changed from fond to wistful. Sango had fallen asleep not long after Kohaku, and she hadn't moved an inch since. She still had her arms wrapped around her little brother. Kagome knew it was because Sango was so afraid of waking up to find him gone. So, she held on to him tightly all night long, every night. Miroku had been slightly subtler with his affections, not that it mattered. Everyone knew how much he cared for Sango. And so, he slipped into sleep right next to his beloved Sango, propped up against a tree not unlike she was currently, with his hand placed gently on her head. It was an innocent gesture, especially considering where the monk would normally like to put his hand, but it was no less sincere. He loved her, probably just as much as she loved him. Kagome just wished they'd stop being stubborn and give in to their desires. Why fight something that seems so inevitable?

'Speaking of inevitable…' Kagome's turned wary eyes on Inuyasha. 'Why can't he let go of Kikyo? I'm not jealous anymore, and I don't love him, at least not like I used to… But I still know he needs to let her go. She cannot live like this forever, and I can't live without the entirety of my soul. It hurts so much…'

Closing her eyes, she forced back the tears that had been building. This was a fact she had told no one, though she thought it would be obvious. How could one have part of their soul ripped from them and not feel pain. And it was so much worse when Kikyo was around. It was like, in those moments, her soul was crying out and pushing her to complete it once more. And the times she had saved Kikyo, she'd had to forcefully push her soul back from reclaiming its lost piece. She'd felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out.

Her soul had been incomplete for so long that she'd grown used to the hollow ache… As long as she didn't acknowledge that part of it was missing. If she thought about it, the numbing affect would disappear fast. And of course, since she was currently thinking about it, she was uncomfortable to say the least.

Sucking in a large breath, Kagome slipped her arms into her sleeves to grip each forearm to try and ground herself. But all thoughts slipped away when her fingers brushed against something soft and velvety. Grasping it, she pulled it out and brought it up to face level. It was the flower. The flower she had meant to press into a book last night. The flower _he_ had given her.

Slipping her other arm out from her sleeve, she brought her hand up to gently stroke the flower's petals. She treated it with something close to reverence, her fingers just barely glossing over the delicate pink petals. Though she didn't know it, a small smile had manifested. She also forgot about her audience, the only other member of her group that had stayed up this late: Sesshomaru.


	53. Smitten

I am so sorry guys! I made an uber mistake and skipped a chapter. So I am reposting the chapters in the right order. It shouldn't change anything. :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 53 – Smitten

Sesshomaru had watched the priestess with poorly veiled interested ever since she had hugged him. Not because of the act itself, he figured at some point the priestess would invade his space in such a manner. No, he watched her because he _enjoyed_ her embrace, and he couldn't figure out how this human girl had captured his attention. He'd had dozens of demonesses try to worm their way into his good graces in hopes that he would mate them, and he had found none of them desirable.

And now, a human girl, a priestess at that, had apparently succeeded where the demonesses had failed.

'Why? What about her is so special? She is clumsy, emotional, and human. Why does this Sesshomaru long for her touch, long for her?'

It was when he watched her that evening that he came to terms with just how she'd enraptured him so. It was the way she looked at her kit and his Rin, the unrestrained love in her gaze. The way she cared for her friends, fought for them, and loved them as well. It was her loyalty, her bravery, and her heart.

Her soul shone with such brilliance, it was hard not to be captivated by her. She was an enigma, and yet it felt as if he had known her for a lifetime. And the small moments they had shared felt like an eternity even though some had passed in the mere blink of an eye.

It was abundantly clear to Sesshomaru that he'd followed in the footsteps of his father, though he'd sworn he wouldn't. He'd fallen in love with a human.

'So foolish…' He thought to himself, even as he smiled, watching the priestess sleep across the clearing.


	54. Conspiracy

We are fast approaching the end of my pre-written chapters. I'm hoping that sometime soon I'll be able to type a few out so I can keep up my weekly update schedule. Regardless, I'm really excited because we're heading towards the end of this story. Thanks so much for your continued support guys, you're the best!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 54 – Conspiracy

"I just don't understand Kikyo. Why would she choose him? Even that mangy wolf Kouga would be better than him!"

After watching Kagome and Sesshomaru being all buddy-buddy for another day, and watching Kagome act like she was suddenly the leader and not _him_ , he was royally pissed. So much so that he'd thanked the Kamis profusely when he caught wind of Kikyo. And after rutting with her, he'd felt so much more relaxed. Until she brought up Kagome that is.

"Is it really so wrong for Kagome to move on? You know she can't pine after you for eternity. Besides, now you don't have to choose. She's done that for you." Kikyo tried to keep her inner bitterness from leaking into her words. Truthfully, she was tired of Inuyasha being so indecisive. It was clear that he had chosen _her_ , not her pitiful copy. Why was he so dense that he couldn't see it too?

"Yes, it's wrong! She's not supposed to love my brother!"

"So, if she loved someone else, you'd be fine with her moving on."

"Yeah I guess so."

At Inuyasha's soft admission, the gears in Kikyo's head began to turn. It was clear that Kagome had begun to move on so that was no longer a problem. Now she needed to try and get rid of Sesshomaru without Kagome latching back onto Inuyasha. 'This would be so much easier if I could just kill her.'

"Do you think there's a way you could get Kagome to stop liking the bastard?"

"I don't know. Was there a reason she didn't like him before the truce?"

"Well he tried to kill me for Tessaiga… tried to kill her too."

"Hmm. Perhaps there is a way we could ignite her old fears."

"Yeah, but how. The bastard swore to protect her during their truce."

'This is perfect.' Kikyo conspired. 'If I could somehow manipulate Sesshomaru into killing Kagome, then I won't have to get my hands dirty. Inuyasha will think it was just an accident, and I get the rest of my soul back.'

"How did Sesshomaru try to kill the two of you?"

"Well first he sprayed Kagome with his poison, but Tessaiga must have protected her. Then after Kagome gave me Tessaiga, he transformed and tried to kill me that way."

'His bestial form! It's perfect. Just the right amount of unpredictability.'

"So, do you think Kagome could still be afraid of his beast form?"

"Yeah! She had nightmares for weeks after that. That's perfect! But wait… Sesshomaru is like the king of perfection, no way is he gonna lose control that easy."

"Don't worry, I can take care of that. All you need to do is make sure Kagome is there when he loses control."

"Alright, but she's not gonna get hurt, right?"

"Of course not, Inuyasha," Kikyo lied through her teeth, "she'll be perfectly safe with you there to protect her."

She neglected to tell Inuyasha that she'd be there as well, and he would have to choose just which woman he would protect. And she knew without a doubt, he'd choose her. Within a month, both Inuyasha and her soul would be in her possession.


	55. Premonition

Little bit of a cliffhanger here guys, hope you don't mind too much. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 55 – Premonition

Waking with a start, it took a few minutes for Kagome to calm down from her dream – no nightmare. Carefully extracting herself from her pile of children, she grabbed her weapons before heading to a nearby pond. Roughly landing on its banks, she grabbed a handful of water and splashed it on her heated face. Taking a moment, she simply stayed there by the pond, hoping to bring down her heart rate and get her thoughts in order before facing the inquisitive taiyoukai behind her.

He was getting worried, she knew. Not that he would express this out loud, it was simply not his way. But she was worried too. This dream was happening too frequently for her liking, and it was so vivid. She was beginning to believe it was more than just a nightmare… It was a premonition.

It was the same one she'd had not long after Sesshomaru had joined their group, and at the time she'd welcomed it since it was a change from her usual nightmares. But now… Now she wasn't so sure. There was an urgency behind it now, happening every night. She knew it was a warning, that she needed to prepare for it and try and stop it.

But how does one avoid something like this? Can one really avoid their own death?

Staring at her reflection, she urged herself to feel _something_. _Anything_. But no matter the amount of mental clawing she did, there was never any feeling other than quiet acceptance. She knew she was going to die, and there was no way to stop it. Now she needed to try and convey this to Sesshomaru.

Fear blossomed in her gut at this thought, and she felt Sesshomaru's aura fan out, trying to find the source of her uneasiness. If only he knew it was something inside of her, or perhaps the future itself that she feared.

"Miko, what is it you fear?"

There was concern in his voice. An inflection that she had only come to notice in the past few weeks. Though he didn't necessarily show emotions, they were there, if one only looked hard enough. She was one of the lucky few to have looked that deeply and lived to tell about it.

"Miko!" His more urgent tone startled her from her inner musings.

"Sesshomaru, I…" Her voice cracked, and tears she hadn't known she'd been holding back sprang forth. Turning to meet his gaze, she allowed her eyes to speak for her.

She was uncertain and afraid. Not necessarily of her own death, but of what would happen after she was gone. What would become of the jewel? And more importantly, what would become of her friends?

She wasn't afraid of death, no. She was afraid of leaving _life_ behind.


	56. Fate

Hey guys, here's the next chapter. I'm running out of pre-written chapters, and with how busy I am this semester, I can't guarantee the weekly update. But please be patient, because I am determined to finish the story no matter how long it takes. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 56 – Fate

The look in her eyes was one that unsettled him. Fear. She had faced down countless enemies, himself included, and never once showed such an emotion. He knew it was not something she had seen upon awaking, there wasn't a threat for miles, he made sure of it.

Though she had been having frequent nightmares, she had assured him that she was not afraid of them. She'd said they were more of an inconvenience than anything else. Then what was it?

"Sesshomaru, I…" Her voice cracked, and she didn't attempt to say anything else. He knew she was scared, he didn't need to see her expression because the forest practically reeked of it. He needed to know _what_ had scared her so.

"Miko, you must tell this Sesshomaru what is wrong. I cannot protect you if I don't know."

Her eyes, normally so open became guarded at his statement, and he wanted so badly to scream in his anger. Now was not the time for her to shut him out.

"Miko, now is not the time to hide from this Sesshomaru. You must tell me-"

"I'm not hiding! I just… I don't want you to be angry at me for what I'm about to say. I don't want you to think that – that I'm doubting you."

"This Sesshomaru wasn't thinking that until now."

"Sesshomaru please, I'm being serious!"

"As am I."

"Ugh! I'll tell you because I was going to tell you anyways. You just have to promise me that you won't take it personally."

"Why would this Sessh-."

" **Promise me.** "

"This Sesshomaru promises."

Her previously guarded eyes opened once more, and were awash once more with fear and uncertainty. Sesshomaru swore that he would find the cause of her fear and kill it so he wouldn't have to see her like this again. He was so consumed with this murderous train of thought that he almost missed Kagome's whispered confession.

"I'm going to die."

He was sure he looked ridiculous, with his mouth hanging open like a fish, but he was so shocked at the certainty in her voice and the clear implication that her death would be coming _soon_ that he could not form a response.

"Sesshomaru, you're freaking me out."

This snapped him out of his daze, and he quickly leveled the priestess before him with a glare that would have most quaking before him. Not her of course, she merely responded with a glare of her own.

"You are being ridiculous. The only way you are going to die is of old age as humans naturally do."

"Sesshomaru." She whined, sounding very much like a petulant child, "I'm being serious."

"As am I."

"It's the nightmares, I think they are premonitions."

"Premonitions. Of your death."

"Yes."

"Foolish." He could see her anger rising as their argument continued, but he didn't care. She needed to realize no harm would befall her while he was protecting her.

"Sesshomaru, I am telling the truth. I have seen it! It will come to pass."

"Then tell me how and I will stop it."

"You know it won't do any good! If I'm right and this is a premonition, there is no way to stop it. If I am destined to die, then it will happen no matter how hard we try to stop it."

"So, you will just accept this? You will allow yourself to die?"

"If you are asking me whether I will just stand there and let someone kill me, then you are the fool! You must know that I will fight tooth and nail against them, I will not go down without a fight. But you know just as well as I do that you cannot fight fate."

She was right. Kamis above he hated it when she was right. But that didn't mean he couldn't be there to bring her back, that he couldn't be there to cut the head from the offending person who would dare to kill her. He may not be able to stop her death, but he could give her life once more.

He knew his determination was obvious to Kagome, and he half expected her to continue to argue with him. But instead, she offered him a weary smile. He wondered how much she knew about her death, if she knew that he planned to make her stay in the afterlife a short one.


	57. Concoction

I just have to say, you guys are the absolute best. I'm really thankful for your reviews, because they keep me motivated to write this story. Thank you so much! :3

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 57 – Concoction

(Kikyo's POV)

It had taken more time than she had thought to gather the needed ingredients, but she finally had. Now all that was left was to prepare her poison and wait. She only hoped that what she had concocted would be strong enough to poison the taiyoukai. It did not help matters that he was proficient in the use of poisons and was likely immune to most toxins. Luckily Inuyasha had made her aware of this fact beforehand, or else she might have put her plan in motion only to have it fail.

The azalea was easy enough to find, as many members of the nobility cultivated them in their gardens. She merely sent her shinidamachu away with a thought, and they returned as soon as they found some. Ironically enough, she hadn't known until recently that azalea was poisonous to dogs. She had found out just days before Inuyasha had come to her upset over Sesshomaru and Kagome, when a stray living in a small village was unfortunate enough to sample a few blossoms. The mutt had died as soon as its stomach dissolved the plant. Kikyo only hoped the plant was also poisonous to dog _demons_.

Black henbane was much harder to come by, since it did not grow in Japan. She found she needed to travel to the Southern lands to Saikaidō and buy the plant from a merchant. Frankly, she was lucky to even get the plant. The merchant had brought it on a whim, hoping to sell it to some healer. This plant was what she was basing her entire plan on. She had heard wind of this plant back when she was alive, but because it was a poison and she was a healer by trade, she had let it slip to the back of her mind. Now that knowledge could very well lead to the restoration of her life. Even if it was a half-life, she'd take what she could get.

This plant was special because it was a different kind of toxin, one she hoped could bypass the taiyoukai's mastery of poison: a hallucinogen. She could only imagine what mishaps could occur with a delusional taiyoukai on the loose, so long as the death of her pitiful reincarnation was one of them.

The last plant she's happened upon on accident. Fly amanita, a fairly common mushroom that grew on pine and other similar trees. It too had hallucinogenic properties, she hadn't even thought of using it because she assumed its toxins would be too weak to affect the demon. But in combination with the henbane, it might just make the desired effect of her mixture that much stronger.

Now, she just needed a way to get Sesshomaru to ingest it. This was undoubtedly the toughest part of her plan, not only because of how wary the taiyoukai was, but because she didn't think she'd ever seen him eat or drink anything. Perhaps she could meet with Inuyasha again. He had likely observed Sesshomaru long enough in the recent months to know when he ate. Once she had that information, she could put her plan in motion.


	58. Manipulation

Running out of chapters guys. But I'm hoping to plug some out over my spring break. Thanks for hanging in there and I hope you enjoy. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 58 – Manipulation

"Inuyasha." Kikyo purred as her hanyou walked into the clearing. Said hanyou's face flamed in response. She mentally complimented herself on her ability to fake such emotions, because she truly couldn't feel anything, and hadn't since her resurrection. Setting her accomplishment aside, she prepared to try and convince Inuyasha to help her in the last step of her plan. First, however, she needed to go through the motions. Inuyasha was under the impression that she only came to him when she "needed" to… relieve frustrations so to speak.

Kikyo reached forward, and in a swift and practiced motion, the hanyou's sword fell to the ground with a muffled clank. She wasted no time in planting her lips to his mouth, and by this point, her hanyou lover was eagerly participating. It did not take long for the clothes separating them to be shed. Like always, there was no foreplay. It was rough and rushed. Not that she cared, so long as Inuyasha found his completion, it was enough.

As the two of them lay in the clearing amidst their disarrayed clothing, Kikyo decided it was time to broach the subject. She brought up her hand and trailed it across her lover's chest. "Inu, I need your help with something."

She felt Inuyasha stiffen, but disregarded it as his surprise at her sudden statement.

"What is it?" He asked softly.

"I have prepared a mixture that will separate your brother –."

"Half-brother." He corrected, mostly out of habit.

"A mixture that will separate your _half-_ brother and your miko." A silence ensued, and for a moment, Kikyo feared that her manipulation was not strong enough. It was only with Inuyasha's help that he could bring her plans to fruition. She was so furiously recalculating her plans that she almost missed the hanyou's reply.

"What is it?"

"A mixture of different herbs. Once brewed it will cause Kagome to fear Sesshomaru." Not the complete truth, but enough that he would hopefully look past the lie. He was silent again, but upon looking up, she could see a look of contemplation on his face. It was mere moments before his face changed to one of determination, and she knew she had him.

"What do I need to do?"

Kikyo looked down quickly before he could meet her eyes, because she knew she could do nothing to hide her triumphant smirk. After explaining her plan and Inuyasha's assent, they settled down to rest once more. As she drifted into a light rest, her only thought was this, 'In a matter of days, my copy will be dead, and I finally have my full soul.'


	59. Goodbyes

I really hope this chapter reads okay. It was done in a tired haze with not a lot of inspiration. On another note, a really important climax is coming up in the next few chapters that will hopefully begin to solidify Kagome and Sesshomaru's blossoming relationship. Stay tuned! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 59 – Goodbyes

Kagome had taken time to say goodbyes to her family back in her time. It had been bittersweet and full of tears, but her family understood. She suspected they knew this would happen eventually. It didn't make it any easier on her to seal the well, though. But she did it because she loved her family, and didn't want any harm to come to them should anyone but her gain access to the well. It was a long time coming, this decision. However, it was for the best.

Kagome was sure that her death was guaranteed, and though she knew Sesshomaru carried Tenseiga, a small part of her doubted that he would revive her. She wanted desperately to believe she meant something to him, but her experiences with Inuyasha had severely damaged her trust in such affections.

That being said, even if he did revive her, she'd probably end up dead again sometime in the future. With her less than impressive fighting skills, Kagome had been betting on the fact that she probably wouldn't survive the final battle with Naraku. There were just too many factors, and she was certain none would escape the battle untouched, especially not her. This isn't to say that she wouldn't be careful. Self-preservation just isn't an instinct you can turn off willingly. But when it came down to it, she would sacrifice anything if it meant her friends could live happily without the threat of Naraku hanging over their heads.

It was with that thought in mind that she'd begun to discreetly tie up loose ends. Already having done so with her family in the future, she wanted to do the same for her family in the Feudal Era. She hoped it was subtle enough that her friends would not catch on to what she was doing. It was in the little things. Like when she asked Sango if she'd take care of Shippo if she was forced back to the future after the wish. Sango had tried to avoid the question, mostly because no one wanted her to leave. But she had agreed in the end. So, if she'd take care of Shippo in that instance, she was positive Sango would do the same if she died.

It was in her poking in prodding of Miroku to finally ask Sango to marry him. She had pointed out that it would make Sango happy even if it was only a few months of marriage. Kagome knew Sango loved the foolish monk, and he loved her in turn. So what if his wind tunnel took him too soon? At least they could be happy even if just for that short amount of time. Her rationale had apparently done the trick, because she had seen the two spending _much_ more time together.

It was in her quiet conversations with Kohaku where they both discussed what they wanted to do with their lives after the fight with Naraku. She had been surprised to learn Kohaku longed to be a simple farmer. Yet it made sense if she thought about it. He didn't seem the demon slayer type. He was just too gentle. She could sympathize. Kagome had never thought she'd end up fighting demons, and it still hurt her to kill them even if they threatened her life. It wasn't in her nature, and it wasn't in his. And so she encouraged him to pursue his dreams. He deserved happiness after all that he had been through.

She'd wondered if she needed to do anything to say goodbye to little Rin, but watching how the girl interacted with Sesshomaru, Kagome felt that she'd be okay. Rin already had the guardian she needed. She still did her best to give her plenty of attention and affection, and guided her gently in learning small skills so she could continue to live with her demon lord.

She'd been frank with Kaede, telling her what she had seen in her premonitions. The old woman had seemed sorrowful, but she too knew it was impossible to change fate. And so, Kagome had taken the time to express to Kaede how thankful she was to have met her, how glad she was to have her as a mentor, and as a grandmother figure. Many tears had been shed that night, but Kagome knew it was worth it.

There was no way she could tell Inuyasha she was going to die. He would likely deny it even more adamantly than his brother. That and he'd become far too protective for her liking. If Sesshomaru was acting the same, she didn't notice it, so she couldn't complain. So, she'd resigned herself to just doing what she could to make sure he was happy before her death. Kagome had backed off in her leading of the group, letting him give directions as he was accustomed to doing. This didn't mean, however, that she let him walk all over again. She still made it clear that breaks would be taken and she was not going to be woken up in his usual manner. She'd also brought back plenty of ramen before sealing the well. That was honestly the best way she knew of to make him happy.

Her efforts had evidently payed off too, because he'd come to her shyly not long after with an apology and a small pouch full of her favorite kind of tea… from this time period of course. A simple green tea. Beggars can't be choosers, and she knew enough about herbs to be able to make the tea more appetizing. When she had inspected the tea, she had found that Inuyasha had already added her favorite herb; mint. She had thanked him profusely and promised to try it out as soon as possible, because although it was a green tea, she wasn't familiar with this particular blend.

Her last "goodbye" was arguably the most difficult. Like Kaede, Sesshomaru too knew of her fate. And he unfortunately knew exactly what she was trying to do every time she tried to start the conversation, and he would immediately change the topic or simply walk away. She had seen the determination in his eyes, and wondered if he had truly accepted what would happen to her, or if he still planned on trying to keep it from happening. Deciding that allowing him this delusion was the best goodbye she could give him. Maybe it would keep him from experiencing guilt at her death.

She could feel her death approaching with every passing day. Her sleep was sporadic at best, with her nightmare premonition present almost as soon as she closed her eyes. Kagome knew her friends were worried, she had woken up each one of them up at least once during the long plague of dreams. But she assuaged them by saying it was stress, she'd just need to take a trip home soon. All but Inuyasha had offered to return to Edo to allow her to have a break. Under normal circumstances she would have jumped at the chance, but as it was, there was no home to go back to at this point. She would not be removing the seal until the death of Naraku.

And so, she stayed. As it was, she knew it would be sometime in the next few days. She would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid. Anyone would be, she thought. But like always, fear would not keep Kagome from doing what she needed to do.


	60. Despair

I think you guys will like this one, its probably the longest chapter I've written for this story. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

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Chapter 60 – Despair

"Sesshomaru-sama, would you like some tea?" Kagome questioned from her position by the fire. She'd filled her teapot with water, and was about to fix some of the tea Inuyasha had given her, and wondered whether or not Sesshomaru would like some too.

His answer was a contemplative glance before a subtle nod. It was enough of a cue for her. She had already asked her companions, but none had wanted any. Putting in the corresponding amount of leaves for two people, she allowed the tea to brew. In just a few minutes the tea was done, and she poured it gently into two small ceramic cups. Standing up with as much grace as she could manage, she then walked across the small camp before kneeling in front of Sesshomaru. Kagome met his eyes and felt her face flame as she noticed the intensity in those golden orbs.

Things between the two of them had become… interesting. They were clearly comfortable around each other, and Kagome knew she held affections for him. But neither of them seemed inclined to put a name to whatever this was. So they simply danced around each other, and on Kagome's part there was a lot of blushing. It wasn't a sudden change either. This was definitely something that had been building. And it had only blossomed with Inuyasha being gone so often. His disappearances had given the two of them time to spend together without interruptions, as he was wont to do.

At first, it was simple hunting trips whenever they required more meat for the group. Those hunting trips went much smoother than the first, not that Kohaku wasn't a delightful surprise. It was just a lot easier on Kagome to not have to fight a trained taijiya that happened to be controlled by Naraku… The competition they'd had during that first trip was continued, though it was more unintentional than planned. Kagome was pleased to say that the score was 2-1 in her favor, though she wondered if Sesshomaru had done that on purpose to make her happy.

Then they'd begun to have evening walks. This habit began not long after Inuyasha began disappearing nearly every night. Kagome had intended the first to be a means to clearing her head, but it had become so much more. It was during these walks that Kagome began to understand Sesshomaru as an individual, not as her preconceived notion of him. Though he did not show many emotions, she'd become more skilled in reading the few that he let slip through. The eyes were the key, because those were the hardest to keep cold.

She'd also told Sesshomaru more about herself, even finally trusting him with the information on just where – or when that is – the well lead to. If he was surprised, he hid it well. And after a few moments of quiet contemplation he said it made sense. She was too strange to have come from this time. At first she'd wanted to be offended, but his obvious amusement kept her calm.

And the final change was one that she welcomed most, drinking tea together. It wasn't very often, sporadic at best, but in those quiet moments, she felt like she was home. Like she belonged. There were hardly any words spoken, and the ones that were spoken was more than likely Kagome being skittish and wanting to fill the silence with words. Not that it was an uncomfortable silence. It was more due to her excitement in talking with him. He'd proved to be quite the conversationalist when she prodded him long enough, and he was just as intelligent as she'd figured he was, perhaps even more so.

With the overwhelming feeling of her imminent death hanging over her head, Kagome wanted nothing more than to revel in that feeling of home one more time, just in case it was her last. So, it was with a warm and open smile that she brewed the tea before presenting Sesshomaru his cup.

She watched as Sesshomaru took a sip then tilted his head as if contemplating the taste of the tea. It was an expression she hadn't seen before, and she wondered if there was something wrong with the tea. It had been a week or so since Inuyasha gave her the brew, maybe it had gone bad? She took a tentative sip, but did not taste anything unusual. Sure, it was a little strong, but it still held her favorite minty essence. In the quick moment it took Kagome to finish her cup, she was oblivious to the darkened gaze of the taiyoukai beside her, nor the smug grin on Inuyasha's face.

Her attention was caught by the shattering of the clay cup in Sesshomaru's hand, and when she met his eyes, she was faced with a glare she hadn't had directed at her for many moons. There was so much anger there, but below that she saw pain. Betrayal.

Kagome's confusion only seemed to add to his ire, and Kagome felt her heart shatter as she watched Sesshomaru replace his mask. The mask he hadn't worn in her presence since their meeting at the Goshinboku. With a flutter of sleeves, Sesshomaru had stood, turned, and left. Well before Kagome could question him on what had happened. Why he'd looked at her like that.

Her stunned gaze swept over the camp, wondering if any of her friends could ascertain what had just happened. It was when she looked to Inuyasha that she knew. The hanyou's stupid grin spoke for itself. She'd been used.

With frantic movements, she stood up preparing to run into the forest after Sesshomaru, but was stopped by a forceful grip on her arm. Turning around, she found herself face to face with Inuyasha, who had still had the nerve to look _happy_. With a fury she didn't think she had in her, she utilized her knowledge of self-defense to throw Inuyasha onto the ground. For good measure, she uttered a deathly-calm sounding "sit boy" before rushing off after the fading aura of the taiyoukai.

"Sesshomaru!" Her panicked shout echoed around her in a quiet forest. All that could be heard were her frantic foot-steps and the ragged sound of her breathing. "Sesshomaru, please!"

Bursting through the tree line into a hidden grove, what she saw brought her to a screeching halt. It was the clearing from her dreams, from her vision. 'No!' She mentally screamed. 'I can't die now, not like this, not with him thinking I've betrayed him.' Her panicked gaze flicked over to the only other occupant of the clearing, besides herself. Sesshomaru. His body was tense with his back facing her. He had left so suddenly that he'd left behind his armor and moko-moko. Seeing him so vulnerable only added to the weight of her guilt. "Please, Sesshomaru, I –…"

"Silence."

"You don't understand, Sesshomaru, I had nothing to do with -…"

"I said 'Silence'!" He roared, spinning to face her. His eyes were bright red, his markings jagged, signaling the presence of his beast. Remembering her last encounter with this side of him, she unconsciously took a step back.

Steeling herself, she stepped forward to talk to him, but to her dismay, he turned around once more and began walking away. Her panic returned to her full force, remembering where she was.

"Sesshomaru, please. Don't leave me…"

If he heard her, he gave no indication. He merely continued on his path and disappeared back into the cover of the forest.

All at once, Kagome was overwhelmed not only by the feeling of fear, but complete and utter despair. Falling to her knees, she felt tears welling up and did nothing to stop them. Within moments, the sounds of her sorrow could be heard across the forest. Clutching at her arms hard enough to bruise, she wept and wailed so forcefully, it was no wonder she soon lost her voice.

It was while she kneeled, a crumpled heap on the ground, that a voice broke the silence in the clearing.

"My, my… What do we have here?"

With wide and frightened eyes, Kagome turned to the source.

"Ki-Kikyo?"


	61. Torn

Hey, I know this one is short, but I feel like short and to the point better exemplifies Sesshomaru's point of view. Don't worry, the next chapter is over 1,000 words, so don't hate me. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 61 – Torn

Sesshomaru's beast roared at him, urging him with every fiber of his being to turn around the moment her anguished cries reached him. The beast had felt the betrayal as strongly as Sesshomaru's more rational side, but had also been quicker to forgive. Its resolve had broken when the little miko had asked him not to leave her. She sounded so afraid, and the beast wanted nothing more than to bathe itself in the blood of whomever had made her feel that way.

Nothing the beast did, however, would sway the rational side. He trusted no one, and the moment he chose to trust the miko, she tried to poison him. It did not affect him, as his own poison rose in that instance to burn away the offending toxins. But that is not what mattered. She betrayed him, then had the nerve to act confused and to ask him to stay. He was a fool to have fallen for her. That _priestess_ was no different than any other human. She only cared for herself.

As adamantly as he wanted to believe what he kept telling himself as truth, he could feel his beast clamoring to return to her. And upon analyzing their exchange, he found that he never smelled deceit, not once. Only sorrow and fear.

But that fear… It was directed at him. He had seen it in her eyes when he turned to face her. He could see her fighting the urge to run.

Even if she was telling the truth, he could not return to someone that feared him. Even if it was just a part of him, his beast was _him_. He could not and would not separate a part of himself for anyone.

Whatever train of thought he was on was interrupted by the sound of an echoed scream. A scream that made his blood run cold. He stood frozen for a mere second, but it was clearly a second too long, as he could feel Tenseiga frantically pulsing at his side. Thus, with an enraged roar and a brilliant flash of light, he was gone.


	62. Battle

Here's that update you've all been asking for, hope you enjoy. The climax continues. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 62 – Battle

"Ki-Kikyo?"

"Hello, my _reincarnation_." Kagome could hear the disgust in her voice, plain as day. And she felt her heart nearly jump into her throat as the elder miko stepped further into the clearing. Her aura was full of smug satisfaction and a darkness Kagome couldn't name.

Out of instinct, she reached behind her back to grab her bow, but instead grasped at empty air. She had left it back at camp. Stiffly, she stood and turned to ruefully face the woman who was surely the harbinger of her death. Remembering her other weapons, she reached inside the sleeves of her top to grab the knife she'd taken to wearing, one of three, actually. Bringing it out, she settled into a defense position, and waited.

Kagome did not have to wait long before her incarnation began a very stereotypical evil villain victory speech. Had she not wanted to take her eyes off her opponent, she might've rolled her eyes.

"I must say, this was not at all what I had planned. I'd hoped to poison that demon into delirium, perhaps have him kill you in the process. But this, oh, this is so much better. To see you before me so utterly defeated and broken. It warms my heart."

"You are a fool to think you could hurt _him_." Despite the hurt she still felt at Sesshomaru leaving her behind, she couldn't help wanting to protect him. Even if it was a meager protection at best.

"Now this is a surprise. I'd thought you were still hung up on Inuyasha, but it looks like your loyalties lie elsewhere. Don't you think it's pathetic? You couldn't have Inuyasha, so you went crawling to his _brother_ instead."

"There's _nothing_ between Sesshomaru and I." Hurt colored her voice whether she wanted it to or not.

"And yet, here you are, crying for your beloved taiyoukai."

Tiring of her gloating, Kagome tensed, ready to fight before replying. "Enough of this Kikyo. Just do what you came here to do."

"So eager to face death, are you? Very well, I will gladly grant your wish." Nocking an arrow and pulling the string taught, Kikyo aimed the bow at the futuristic miko before her. Before she could fire, however, Kagome was already on the move. With ease, she sidestepped the fired arrow and with a burst of speed, found herself within arm's length of the elder miko.

Before she could strike with her blade, she was pulled away by something cold that had wrapped itself around her torso. She didn't need to look to know that Kikyo's shinidamachu were interfering to save their mistress. Using a controlled burst of reiki, she burnt away the soul stealers around her before renewing her effort to attack the miko before her. Unfortunately, they had pulled her far enough away to be more susceptible to Kikyo's arrows. Just the few moments she'd spent dealing with the soul stealers was long enough for Kikyo to wound her with an arrow.

Staggering backwards, Kagome put her hand around the shaft of the arrow now protruding from her stomach. Already, blood was rushing from the wound, and she had to move quickly to avoid another arrow, sending a painful jolt through her body. Acting quickly, she snapped the most of the shaft off, then ran quickly back at Kikyo.

Once reaching her, she blocked a blow from Kikyo's bow and stabbed her knife into her side. It took some more force than she was expecting to break into Kikyo's clay body. So the gash she intending to make was hardly larger than the arrow wound she had received. Her preoccupation at this revelation earned her a gash on her upper arm, as Kikyo had grabbed an arrow from her quiver to act as a smaller knife.

In return, Kagome made several more slashes at the elder miko. Her precision and adjusted strength to her blows ensured that the miko was having a hard time containing the souls she had gathered to continue animating her body. Already, small wisps of the souls were escaping from the cracks Kagome had created.

However, Kikyo gave her no time to celebrate her small victories, as she was thrown back by a relatively large blast of power. Kagome was subsequently flung across the clearing, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the air from her lungs. Recovering as quickly as possible, Kagome pushed herself up to try and return to the fight. Turning her head to view Kikyo once more, she realized with a start that she had already fired another arrow.

Almost in slow motion, Kagome watched as the arrow approached her. She knew she couldn't dodge this one, and tried to throw up a barrier to deflect it. With a start, she realized her powers weren't responding to her call. 'The tea…' she thought, the one she'd drank an entire cup of. She'd been moving around so much that she sped up the digestion of the tea and whatever horrid poison Kikyo had concocted. Knowing she could do nothing, she remained still with quiet acceptance. In what seemed like a lifetime to Kagome, an arrow crossed the clearing before striking her just to the left of her sternum.

She lifted shaking hands to the arrow, trying in vain to staunch the flowing blood. Already she was gasping for air, to no avail, as the arrow had punctured a lung. Kagome waited for another arrow to strike her prone form, but nothing came. Looking up, she saw with tired and blurry vision that Kikyo seemed content to watch her suffer before dying. With a flash of anger, Kagome was reaching into her other sleeve to grab a second knife. It was only now that her reiki heeded her call, responding to her fury, and embedded itself in the dagger. Kikyo, thinking her defeated, was not prepared for the knife thrown at her with deadly accuracy.

Kikyo looked down, shocked, at the dagger lodged in her chest. It was pulsing with Kagome's strong, anger-filled reiki. With each pulse, she could feel the souls within her being pushed out more quickly than before. Pulling her bow taut once more, she was determined to bring her reincarnations life to an end right then and there.

She was stopped from doing so, however, when a brilliant light flashed in the clearing. Before she could process what was going on, a sickly green whip had wrapped itself around her neck. For a moment, she could feel nothing but a horrible burning sensation, then nothing but blissful darkness and silence.

Kagome, after throwing her knife, had collapsed. Laying on her side, barely able to breath, she hardly noticed the bright flash of light. She was so exhausted. Between the poison and the massive blood loss, Kagome was surprised she'd lasted this long. She could feel her eyes slipping closed, and though she knew she should fight to stay awake, she couldn't find the energy or motivation to do so. Just as she was slipping into the sweet caress of darkness, she was shaken. It took her a moment for her tired brain to comprehend what was going on.

There were muffled words. A voice, one that sounded achingly familiar though she could not place it. She strained to force her eyes open, but open doing so, could hardly focus to see her surroundings.

"-gome. Kagome!"

Her name, the voice was saying her name. And they sounded so afraid… and sad. She didn't want them to feel sad. There was a face above her, this was probably the face of the person calling her name. As she forced herself to focus, she first noticed long silver hair. Then shining golden eyes, and finally an indigo crescent moon and two maroon stripes. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a name was put to the face.

"Sesshomaru." Her voice barely amounted to a whisper. But it was enough to further clear her mind. "You came back." Though she didn't know it, a small smile had ghosted across her face for a mere moment.

It was unfortunate that those three words and simple smile seemed to take so much energy. Before she knew it, she was slipping back into the darkness. She knew Sesshomaru wanted her to stay awake. But she was so tired. 'Forgive me.' She thought. Then nothing.


	63. Selfish

Oh dear, I picked an awful time to get stupidly busy. Left you guys hanging for a long time. Whoopsies. Here's the next chapter with an appropriate amount of fluff to hopefully make up for my lateness. Enjoy! :)

*Also, for the life of me, I could not remember what I'd decided to do with Sesshomaru's arms! So I wrote in this chapter as if he only has one. If I've referenced Bakusaiga or Sesshomaru having two arms, pleaaase tell me so I can fix this. As far as I can tell, I haven't really referenced this subject at all before now, so hopefully this ranting is for naught. ~Thanks~*

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 63 – Selfish

"Kagome. _Kagome!_ " His clawed hand gripped her shoulder tightly, trying and failing to rouse the injured miko. Tenseiga was pulsing angrily at his side, demanding he use the sword to bring her soul back, but he did not want to accept that she was dead. He had promised to keep her safe and had failed. Sesshomaru, the killing perfection, had failed at something that should have been so easy. She was gone.

Finally, he could not ignore the truth nor the sword practically buzzing at his hip. With as much gentleness as he could achieve with one arm, he laid Kagome back down on the ground with something akin to reverence. Carefully, he removed the two arrow shafts and wiped away the small trail of blood that had slipped from her quickly cooling lips. With haste, he stood and drew his sword with precise movements, and took a position above her body.

If it hadn't been for the two holes where he'd removed the arrow shafts, and the pool of blood below her, he would've thought she was simply sleeping. There was a look of acceptance on her face, even a hint of that smile she had gifted him when he'd returned. He didn't deserve that smile.

Narrowing his eyes on the imps from the underworld, a fury previously unknown to him flowed through his veins. So with quick and angry swipes of Tenseiga, he tore the imps into pieces before waiting with baited breath for Kagome to awaken.

He knew it was just a handful of seconds that he had to wait for her soul to settle back into her body, but it felt like an eternity, an agonizing one at that. Before his eyes, her body stitched itself back together just before her eyes fluttered open. It was a moment still before her body could comprehend that it was alive, then she took a gasping breath to fill her lungs with air.

Losing all semblance of composure, Sesshomaru fell to his knees before pulling the resurrected woman to his chest. He knew it was unbecoming of one in his position to act this way, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. So caught up in the sound and feel of her beating heart, he nearly missed her soft questioning voice.

"Sesshomaru?"

He felt her hands come to rest on his shoulders, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that she was not seeking to push away from him. If anything, he figured she was confused and unsure how to react.

Reluctantly he pulled back, yet kept her in his embrace. He could hardly mourn the loss of her warmth against his chest when he came to view her face so tantalizingly close to his own. Though her eyes showed her confusion, there was also joy there and, dare he say it – love. For him. He knew he was undeserving of it, but he found he could not pull away. He found himself wanting to be selfish, just this once.

For a time, they simply sat there staring into each other's eyes. Her eyes searched his, for what he didn't know. But she must have found it, because she gave him the most beautiful and accepting smile before drawing close and gently pressing her lips against his. All conscious thought fled his mind, and he sat there stunned for second before he responded eagerly. Though he was unfamiliar with expressing his emotions, he poured all emotions into this kiss, both emotions that he knew and those he couldn't comprehend. Finally, he had to relent so they could both catch their breaths.

Resting his forehead on hers, he allowed himself to get lost in her oceanic eyes. There was no more confusion or uncertainty in them. Instead they swirled with the purist, most unadulterated love he'd ever seen. For him. 'Kami's above, how could I have ignored this woman for so long?'

When he spoke, interrupting the comfortable silence that had fallen between them, his voice was low and husky. But he continued undeterred.

"Kagome, never leave this one again. _Please._ " Though his voice sounded strong, and he wanted it to sound authoritative, it still seemed more of a pleading request than a command.

Her small calloused hands came up to gently cup his face while she responded. "Never." He could tell it was the truth. It was not a lie or falsehood meant to appease him. It was a promise. His still didn't know what he had done to deserve her loyalty, but it was clear he had it. Now he would do what he must to make sure he was deserving of it. Though he had left her and played an unwitting role in her death, he swore he would do everything within his power to make it up to her.

And he _would not_ betray her again.


	64. Betrayal

The plot thickens *mwahahaha*. Just kidding, pretty sure you guys knew this was coming. On another note, it's hell week at my college, aka week before finals, so it might be a hot sec before I can update again. Will do my best to be on time, but no promises. I know this isn't a long chapter, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 64 – Betrayal

Her dream had not come to pass. Well the core of it had, since despite Sesshomaru's efforts, she had died. But her premonition had not happened. In her dream, both she and Inuyasha had spoken of Kikyo as if she were alive. Kikyo was clearly not alive, if the cracked and disheveled clay heap at the edge of the clearing was any indication.

She waited for a moment to feel the rise of guilt at the thought of Kikyo's death, but she felt nothing. Although, she supposed that was only natural since the woman had literally killed her.

Kikyo's plan, or at least what Kagome knew of it, had been ingenious. Or at least it would've been if she'd used that poison on anyone but a literal poison master. Still, despite the failing of her original plan, she still managed to follow through on her true goal.

Contemplating Kikyo's elaborate murder plan, Kagome's thoughts wandered to that awful catalyst; the tea. 'Wouldn't it have been easier to just poison me? Why did she need to include Sesshomaru? Or, was Sesshomaru the target? Kikyo said she was trying to poison him in the hopes that he would kill me… But why him? Why target him when her true goal was to steal my soul?'

Her inner machinations continued to spiral, deeper into what ifs and what could have been. That is until a voice calmed her raging mental storm.

"Kagome, calm yourself."

Clouded blue eyes cleared at the sound of his command. Kagome gripped Sesshomaru's haori tight as she finally succumbed to the stress all of this had created. Leaning into his shoulder, she sought his comfort as tears of relief rushed down her face. She cried for all she was worth before eventually calming, though she did not remove herself from her position on Sesshomaru's lap. Frankly because she didn't want to.

Instead, she simply tilted her head back to gaze at his profile as he held her. She could see concern in his eyes as he stared back at her. Something caught her attention, however. Besides concern, there was something there in his eyes. Like he was thinking about something, but didn't want to tell her.

Eyebrows pinching in thought, Kagome pursed her lips before asking a question she wasn't sure she wanted an answer for. "What is it? What are you thinking?"

For a moment, all Sesshomaru did was clench his jaw and close his eyes. She knew right then and there she wasn't going to like what he was going to say.

He opened his eyes and pinned her with the flaming amber. Clenching his jaw a few more times, he finally won whatever internal debate he was experiencing and answered her question with one of his own.

"Who gave you that tea?"

Her mind, which had been abuzz since she'd been revived, went deathly quiet. Gasping she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She was sure her face had paled as she could practically feel her blood draining from it, along with the first pulse of cold dread in her stomach. Kagome's hand shook when she moved it from her mouth, and her voice was barely a whisper.

"Inuyasha."


	65. Puppets

Thank you so much for your patience you guys. Between the stress of finals and receiving a discouraging review, it was hard for me to get motivated enough to write the next chapter.

This story has been an interesting challenge for me both because it's my first story that I've posted online, and because I dove in without any idea on where I wanted to go with the story. I know it isn't perfect, but I'm honestly doing the best that I can, (and I do want to edit this story once I've finished writing it). If you guys want to post criticisms, that's fine. You're obviously entitled to do so, I just ask that they be constructive. Just complaining about what's wrong with my story really only serves to discourage me from writing. Give me tips or advice on where to go instead. I don't have to post my stories online. I don't have to write at all, it's something I do for fun. If it stops being fun for me, then I won't do it anymore.

More than anything else, I ask that you guys be kind, both to me and other writers. It puts us in a really vulnerable position to share our ideas like this. You never know how much you can hurt the author with your words. I was already in a bad place when I received that discouraging review, and it hurt me more than I'd like to admit.

That being said, I want to give a shout-out to a few reviewers, because your words of encouragement really helped me to write this chapter. So a huge thanks to:

 **Undertheskys**

 **Darknessdawns**

 **CherryCakes360**

 **BrazilianPhantom**

and **Juliastes**

You guys helped pull me out of a writing slump and just generally brightened my day today. Also, just thanks to everyone that's stuck with me from the beginning and given me amazing reviews for the past, oh dear, coming up on two years. It really does help inspire me to continue writing, so thank you so much! Alright, I'll step down from the podium and let you guys read the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

{~~~~~~~~~~}

Chapter 65 – Puppets

Silence dominated their clearing. Kagome was surprised to say the least. She was expecting Sesshomaru to react to what she said, not sit there in quiet contemplation. It was clear he was thinking about something, she could practically see the gears turning. Seconds turned into minutes, and her patience was growing thin.

"What are you thinking?" Her question came out harsh with her impatience, and she could feel the flush on her face from her quick temper.

Sesshomaru's contemplative gaze turned to her, and within it she could see the anger she'd been expecting him to show. But there was also a hint of confusion, both in his gaze and his simmering aura. "It doesn't make sense."

His voice was quiet, enough so that she had to strain her ears to hear him. Even then, it took her a few moments to register what he'd said.

"What doesn't make sense? You've seen how he's been acting! Maybe Kikyo convinced him that you were her target, not me."

"No, none of it. It doesn't make sense that Inuyasha would have turned on you at all."

"… I don't understand what you're saying, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru let out an uncharacteristic sigh before closing his eyes. Kagome could see that he was sorting out his thoughts, so she pushed her impatience aside. Pushing him would only succeed in causing him to close himself off, and she didn't want that. Not when they'd come this far.

Just as he seemed to gather his thoughts, he stiffened and tilted his head to the side. Faintly, she could see his ear twitching. Kagome's grip on his haori tightened, and she barely kept herself from asking about what he was hearing. Instead, she waited with baited breath, her already frayed nerves going crazy.

The new surge of adrenaline rushing through her veins somehow made her hypervigilant in watching his movements. So, almost in slow motion, she watched his pupils constrict and felt the muscles in his arm tense almost painfully around her. In a quick movement too quick for her to follow, he stood up and placed her on her feet. Somehow, she knew he intended to leave her behind to go to whatever had caught his attention. Shooting her hand forward, she fisted her hand in the sleeve of his haori, and her nervous aura snapped around her barely controlled.

"What is it, Sesshomaru?"

The thin line of his lips, and the fact that most of his body was still turned away from her spoke of his impatience and the urgency he felt to leave, but still he answered her.

"They are in danger."

He did not need to clarify who 'they' were. She knew.

"You will take me with you." She did not ask. Kagome didn't care that just a few minutes ago she was dead. If her friends were in danger, no way in hell was she being left behind. Stiffly, but quick, she grabbed Kikyo's bow and quiver and swung them easily over her shoulder before rejoining Sesshomaru.

Kagome could practically see the argument hanging on his tongue.

"I'm going one way or another. If you take me with you, then you can protect me."

His cold mask settled on his face, and all the emotions she had been privy too disappeared behind it. Had the situation been any less dire, she supposed she would've been upset at him hiding his emotions. But for the time being, she couldn't worry about it.

"Let's go." Kagome felt herself being swept up awkwardly with his one arm, and at first she was confused, until her eyes brushed over the spiked armor on his chest. She imagined that, were he to carry her on his back, the armor would have gotten in the way and proved to be uncomfortable at best.

Kagome was prepared when they got to the battle, and quickly rolled out of Sesshomaru's hold while deftly prepping an arrow and drawing her bow. However, she wasn't prepared for just who they'd be facing in battle.

Ah-Un and Jaken stood to their left protecting the two children, while she and Sesshomaru stood at the backs of Miroku, Sango and Kirara. Sango and Kirara were facing off against Kohaku, whom she could only assume was once again under Naraku's control. Her attention, however, was solely on Miroku's opponent; Inuyasha. His demon half had taken over, and yet he was still using Tessaiga to hack at her monk friend. Though she could not comprehend how this could've happened, her mind was working quickly to keep her friends safe.

Quickly she stood and pulled back the arrow. Taking a deep breath, she aimed and let her arrow fly with a cry of "Hit the mark!" Time seemed to slow as she watched her arrow fly past Miroku's head and strike the Tessaiga straight on. Not only did her reiki force the Tessaiga to transform back to its useless state, it sent a shockwave through the hilt causing Inuyasha to drop the sword completely.

Due to her interference, Inuyasha's angry eyes became trained on her instead of Miroku. She unconsciously took a step back, even as Sesshomaru stepped in front of her whilst drawing Tōkijin. Both brothers tensed to attack each other, but stopped as a chilling laugh echoed around them.

"Well done, Kagome! As always, you seem to defy my expectations of you." Naraku emerged from the tree cover cloaked in his customary baboon mantle.

"Naraku." Disgust colored her tone, and an awful sense of foreboding settled in the pit of her stomach.

"As always, it was delightful to see you all, but I'll be leaving with my _puppets_."

The way he hung onto the word 'puppets' made bile rise up in her throat. He couldn't mean… Watching Naraku place his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder like they were old friends told her all she needed to know.


	66. Update 1-24-18

Hello all, and happy new year! I just wanted to let you all know I have not forgotten about this story. I am planning to update soon, and I have a lot of ideas for not only this story but several stories I'd like to write. Thank you all for the follows, favorites and continued words of encouragement. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have this much support, especially when I've been going through such tough times.

As far as how soon you can expect the next chapter, I can't say. But I definitely plan to start writing again this weekend, so long as nothing big gets in the way.

See you guys soon! :D


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